Skip to main content

Glass House FOI - Gotta love the bureaucracy

Glass House FOI - Gotta love the bureaucracy

QLD Bureacracy follow the same path as their NSW counterparts in release of documents requested through FOI about potential closure of long established routes in our National Parks.

Last July 023 I placed an application under the QLD Right to Information Act 2009 relating to the closure of the Glasshouse Mountains. My initial inquiry requested "Documents, reports and correspondence relating the closure of Mt Beerwah, Mount Tibrogargan and Mount Mt Coonowrin."

After some discussion with the FOI officer the terms of reference for my inquiry were altered to the following: "All documents containing consideration by the Government to permanently close any of the Glasshouse Mountains to preserve the cultural heritage of First Nations peoples."

After some weeks a response came back (31 August 2023) that there were no documents that met these terms:

Letter from QLD Dep Science and Environment - we have nothing for you!

I was quite surprised and asked if the specific terms "Beerwah" and "Tibrogargan" were used. It seems they were not, instead the search used the broader term Glass House Mountains as per the terms the FOI officer recommended. Despite both Beerwah and Tibrogargan being among the Glass House Mountains to my amazement the FOI officer indicated I would need to place a new application and pay an additional fee if I wanted these terms to be searched. 

I found this to be ridiculous and argued that Beerwah and Tibrogargan were covered by the terms of reference. I was told there would be no further searches and I would have to seek a review through the QLD  Office of the Information Commissioner.

In September 2023 I requested this review. Today I received the outcome - see copies below. This included a letter dated 23 October 2018 from a policy wonk working for the Minister to a member of the public about the Government's position on public access to the Glass House Mountains (also below).  

It seems I have no other recourse than to place a new application and pay an additional fee, which I have done. Petty Bureaucracy in action once again! (Where is the "service" in the Public Service these days?)

Letter from OIC 19 January 2024

2018 letter referred to by the OIC.

At least this part in the 2018 letter is positive, but what is the government's current position?...

"The Queensland Government through the Department of Environment and Science (the department) acknowledges the importance of the Glasshouse Mountains National Park to the people of Queensland and has no plans to permanently close public access. Occasionally, some routes and tracks are impacted by natural events such as rock fall, unstable rocks, bushfire, very heavy rainfall or seismic activity and require temporary closure for maintenance and repair, or to deal with significant safety issues, but no permanent closures are planned for the area." 



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mount Warning: Aboriginal claims about summit climb are contested

"How can the public experience the spiritual significance of this land if they do not climb the summit and witness creation."   Ngaraakwal Elder Marlene Boyd RIP   NSW NPWS have the following description about Aboriginal attitudes to people climbing to the summit of Mt Warning on their webpage about the walking track: Wollumbin, which means ‘cloud catcher’ to some Aboriginal People, is a traditional place of cultural law, initiation and spiritual education for the people of the Bundjalung Nation. Under Bundjalung law, only certain people can climb the summit. Out of respect for their law and culture, consider not climbing the summit. These claims, including the very name applied to the mountain, are contested and it seems there is another story that NSW NPWS have not properly acknowledged and have long kept from public attention.  We came across this article from the Daily News February 24 2007 about Ngaraakwal Elder Marlene Boyd that makes for interesting reading. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

17th death on the Rock

17th death on the Rock ABC report that a 76 year old Japanese man collapsed on the steep part of the climb and despite first aid, was not able to be revived. The elderly Japanese man likely died as a result of heart complications, probably brought on by existing (perhaps unknown) medical conditions and over exerting himself. He appears to have died revelling in the opportunity life provides. RIP Brother of the Rock.  Our thoughts with his family and the first attenders who did their best to treat him. It's sad, but life goes on, and so should the climb. His death marks the 17th death ON the Rock since 26 May 1962 when 16 year old school boy Brian Strieff, on a school excursion with Carey Grammar, wondered off the main path in heavy fog on the way down and fell to his death. ABC's report indicate it is the 37th death, but these figures from Parks Australia have not been substantiated. It seems that many of the deaths Parks Australia claim to have occurred ON the Rock occurr...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more