Which improvements would you like to see?
Anything….
Way back in 2007 they released a Regulatory Impact Statement paper to discuss how to manage this area into the future.
Part of the paper outlined 4 possible options.
1) Do nothing. Allow people to come and go as they please for free, bring their dogs, do donuts on the beach and crap wherever they like.
Obviously this was rejected.
2) Educate the public about the importance of the area and how to use it sustainably. This option was rejected because; “The financial costs of this option would be significant and include printing and sign costs. There would be increased staff costs associated with an increased public contact effort on and off-site.”
Yeah that sounds way too hard…
3) Declare a Coordinated Conservation Area under the Nature Conservation Act. The rules for conservation areas are pretty strict and this option was ruled out because; “Revenue would not be available from vehicle access permits to be spent on recreation management, including recreational facilities.
Revenue from all other permits(e.g.camping permits and commercial activity permits) would not be required to be retained and spent only for recreation management purposes”
Are we all seeing the pattern here.?
Don’t get any money = rejected
Have to spend money = rejected
Be allowed to charge access fees and camping fees, but not be allowed to keep all of this money = rejected
So now here we are…
4) Declare the area a Recreational Reserve.
This allows for uniform regulations and enforcement measures for all tenures.
Collection of fees and the allocation of funds based on need rather than tenure.
An integrated permit system and information sources for commercial operators and visitors to the area.
So this option obviously won because it’s easier to set fees and enforce regulations. There is no requirement to put the money directly back into the area, they can define the need as they please.
The official line was and still is; “The visitor’s experience will be of a higher quality due to improved facilities and better maintained access tracks and roads, funded from a permit system that channels funds back into the recreation areas.”
So to the question, what improvements would we like to see?
We’ll.. A hell of a lot more then an over priced dump point and a pair of license plate cameras set up at each end of the beach to make them more money in fines…..
Because over the last 11 or 12 years they would have collected close to $10,000,000 in revenue from 4wd permits and those 2 things are the only money they have put back into “improved facilities and better maintained access tracks”.
And the beach camping area is absolutely going to be closed soon.
The place will effectively just be another toll road with a hefty fee to go and visit the point for the day.
