Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes:

(i)

a bushfire in the magnificent Tarkine wilderness area in north west Tasmania had burnt 1800 hectares by 17 March 2008,

(ii)

that the fire was started in conjunction with a car accident on the ‘Road to Nowhere’ known as the Western Explorer Road, and

(iii)

the high risk of fire from opening the inaccessible area to vehicle access was identified by conservationists as a major threat and reason for objection when the road was proposed and approved by the Tasmanian Liberal Government in 1994; and

(b)

calls on the Government to:

(i)

urge the Tasmanian Government to close the road and convert it to a world-class cycling and walking track, and

(ii)

advance the world heritage nomination of the area to secure its permanent protection.

Question put.