Proposed Battery Point Walkway - Crown Land Licences

Ms BURNET question to MINISTER for PARKS and HERITAGE, Mr DUIGAN

[10.44 a.m.]

My question relates to the proposed Battery Point walkway. Minister, you've indicated your lack of enthusiasm for the idea, noting the need to consider the interaction of the proposal with existing Crown licences. So, minister, how many Crown licences are there on the Battery Point foreshore between AJ White Park and Errol Flynn Reserve? How many of these Crown licences are based on the standard Crown licence template currently in use? How many of these Crown licences are not based on the standard Crown licence template currently in use, and if there are any of the latter, in what year were they issued and in what year do they expire?

The SPEAKER - Thank you, honourable Deputy Speaker. I remind members that if you ask a number of questions in a question, the minister may not have time to address all of them. I'll let the minister address what he's able to.

ANSWER

Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for the question and do note the specifics contained within that question and the numbers there, so I will commit to take those aspects on notice. More broadly I would like to address the issue of the Battery Point walkway and reject your characterisation of my lack of interest in the project. I have engaged with the Hobart City Council on this, and certainly understand and commend its continued interest in the Battery Point walkway.

What there is, though, and I think everybody recognises, and your question does contain the fact that there are a number of lease and licence holders through that part of Battery Point ‑ and property rights do matter. If you have a lease or a licence, it is important that you are considered through these processes. I would not be making any broad-stroke dissolving of those people's rights, but I would encourage council to work with those affected residents to find a pathway forward. Leases and licences are separate legal entities. There is a different application for both of those constructs, so there is work to be done.

I was pleased, frankly, that last night at council, council voted to continue pursuing the project. It was a tight vote, but council has continued showing its appetite to continue on. There is work for council to do, and when council has got that project and considered how we could support it, then I'm very happy to have those conversations.

Supplementary Question

Ms BURNET - I thank the minister for his answer and his interest, and I take note that he's been speaking with the Hobart City Council in relation to this, but I'm just curious as to property rights over Crown land. I'm really interested in how that will be addressed when there is obviously a clear interest in public access as well over that same land.

Mr DUIGAN - Certainly it's not unusual for individuals or others to hold property rights over Crown land, be that via a lease or a licence or some other form. Again, a conversation needs to be had with all of those people in that area who would be affected by this project. They are very key stakeholders in this, and I would encourage council to have those conversations with those people to get them into a place that we could then look at what might be progressed.