FOI BOMBSHELL: Part 2 Did minister sign NPWS briefing note authorising shut down of Mt Warning?

FOI BOMBSHELL Part 2: Did the minister sign NPWS briefing note authorising shut down of Mt Warning?

On 24 December 2021, I sent a GIPA (FOI) request to NPWS for the following information:

Correspondence (emails, reports and other forms) dealing with long term closure of the Mt Warning Summit Walk including a survey report prepared for NSW NPWS covering visitor opinions about walking up Mt Warning.

Any other correspondence covering a ban on the Mt Warning Summit Walk across the period indicated (01/01/2017 to 22/12/2020).

NPWS GIPA minions released a batch of documents on February 16, 2021. We covered these in our post "FOI BOMBSHELL: PERMANENT BAN ON MT WARNING 25 NOVEMBER 2022"

A number of documents were completely redacted and I requested an external review of these by the NSW Information Commissioner. On 11 June 2021, the Information Commissioner recommended a new decision be made regarding documents 3A, 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, 5E and 7 by way of internal review.

The Information Commissioner found: "The review of the Agency’s information and decision concluded that its decision is not justified. The reviewer recommends, under section 93 of the GIPA Act, the Agency make a new decision by way of internal review."

NPWS have now reviewed their initial decision (5 July 2021) and they have released documents 3A and 7 in partially redacted forms but withheld access to document 5A-5E now claiming they are not their documents to release. Good grief!

Document 3A (ACCESS HERE) is a draft of a Ministerial Briefing Note to Minister Matt Kean requesting he approve the permanent closure of the Mt Warning Summit track. It is not known if this was signed. I have asked the Minister if he has signed the final version of this briefing note. The information provided to the minister by NPWS in this briefing note:

Misrepresents the safety issues,
Erroneously overstates the landslide and rock fall risk,
neglects to provide the full picture about Indigenous opinions about the summit walk by omitting the views of Mt Warning custodian Ngaraakwal Elder Marlene Boyd RIP "How can the public experience the spiritual significance of this land if they do not climb the summit and witness creation."
Does not provide a mechanism of consultation or compensation for lost income for local businesses.

If the Minister signed the note, he has been misled by his department!

Document 7 (ACCESS HERE) Wollumbin Cultural Values Report 1 – Brummies Lookout. This report provides background information about the potential to develop Brummies Lookout as an alternative bushwalking experience if the Mt Warning Summit track is closed.

On Page 4 of the report NPWS provide only one indigenous perspective about climbing Mt Warning and they warp this to give the impression only a few people will climb it. The dishonest nature of the information provided by the public servants behind this is sickening.

What NPWS tell the Minister and what they leave out - NPWS guilty of misinforming Minister about Indigenous views and safety about climbing Mt Warning.

I am looking at requesting the Information Commissioner further review NPWS withholding of documents 5A-5E.

BOMBSHELL DOCUMENT LEAK - WCG MEETING MINUTES 2011-2024

WCG MEETING MINUTES 2011-2024 We have been given access to minutes of meetings of the Wollumbin Consultative Group between 2011 and 2024. On the basis of the minutes it is clear the time for an independent public inquiry into management of Mt Warning National Park and the entire NSW Parks estate is long overdue. Documents are made available as a matter of deep public interest in current management practices in our National Parks. What is happening at Mt Warning will be occurring in other Parks across NSW as NPWS continue to push for and develop handback and lease agreements of our public parks. In our view these plans are divisive: they prevent public involvement in managing public land, they will add considerable cost to managing our parks, and they will result in further irrational bans and limits on public access. NPWS: "Custodians are looking at ways to progress handback at the June meeting. We envisage it will take 10-15 years for handback across the whole state."...

NSW NATIONAL PARKS HANDBACKS - PROCESS HAS STARTED

NSW NATIONAL PARKS HANDBACKS - PROCESS HAS STARTED: Welcome to the new Apartheid People also said that Aboriginal knowledge holders need to have a role in determining the appropriate activities that can be carried out on Country/in parks. People called for equal or majority Aboriginal representation on any joint management governing body, with a view also put forward that the governing body should consist of Aboriginal people only. A view was also put forward that the land should be restored to how it was at the point of first contact – pre colonisation. This view went to the extreme of saying Healthy Country means the removal all things that were not present in 1788, including all buildings, introduced species and other infrastructure. NPWS' busy bureaucrats are in process of negotiating handover of our National Parks to private interests. The plan will potentially see every National Park in the state handed over to as yet unknown Aboriginal groups then leased...

Mt Warning closure - 4 years of lies and misinformation

Mt Warning closure - 4 years of lies and misinformation March 30 (Easter Saturday) marks the 4-year anniversary of the "temporary" closure of the Mt Warning summit track. Some thoughts and rambled musings below. I spoke with Ben Fordham about the anniversary on the Ben Fordham Breakfast show on 2GB. Ben's response a classic: "If you want to climb, just climb it!" Link to that interview HERE . 4 year anniversary of bureaucratic madness We know the exact date of the closure thanks to bushwalker: Tertia Starr Maynard, who posted a photo of a note left on her windscreen by NPWS rangers to the reopen Facebook page . It was dated and read “NPWS advises Wollumbin National Park is closing from today due to covid19. Gate is not locked but please close behind you as you exit. Thanks NPWS.” Photo by T Maynard - the last walkers out. In the 4 years since, after other parks were reopened, Mt Warning remained closed and the reason for the temporary closure morphed to in...

Right to Climb

Search This Blog