Bushwalk Australia

At the end of this month, short term park fees will have a massive price hike - almost doubled!

Thankfully, annual and two-year fees will remain much the same (actually marginally cheaper).

See: https://parks.tas.gov.au/explore-our-pa ... entry-fees

That is appalling timing.

It's appalling timing for Tasmanians wanting to visit their own national parks, when they have few other options for holidays.

It's particularly bad timing for the annual youth camp that I've been helping to run for the past few years. Especially when for the first time this year, PWS have rejected our application for an educational exemption because the exemptions are for (and I quote), "bone-fide (sic) educational purposes, not leisure activities". I find it quite disturbing that the PWS bureaucracy thinks that fun and education are mutually exclusive. Some of them must have had a terrible upbringing. I mean, of all people you'd think that PWS would appreciate that education can be achieved by enjoyable activities.

In my opinion, it is impossible for a child to NOT learn some valuable lessons on their first overnight bushwalk. I mean life lessons like this, learned while out doing/being/seeing are at least as valuable as formal maths, science and english from a book. I could not sleep last night. I was so upset. (Yes, I am trying to have the decision overturned.)

At an extra $80 $80 each, I don't think the camp would be feasible at all. Some of these kids' families can't afford the camp fees even without this additional cost (some get sponsored to attend by generous schools or other entities who appreciate the benefit to particular children).

Son of a Beach wrote:In my opinion, it is impossible for a child to NOT learn some valuable lessons on their first overnight bushwalk. I mean life lessons like this, learned while out doing/being/seeing are at least as valuable as formal maths, science and english from a book. I could not sleep last night. I was so upset. (Yes, I am trying to have the decision overturned.

I would be happy to help you with any documentation changes etc to help get you over the line - I will send you a PM with my details

SoB - the 2 month individual pass is $40 so for your camp it is a better option than 8 x 1 day@ $10. Alternatively, you could contemplate including a year parks pass in your camp price for each family which provides them with a reason to visit parks as a family.

would be useful to state the previous fee and term, then what the new fee.

Maybe you could link up with school or 'educational' concessionaire, provide a loose lesson plan etc?
See private schools can afford everything, the latest kit, chartered transport, interstate travel.. but not our local park fees.

Mark F wrote:SoB - the 2 month individual pass is $40 so for your camp it is a better option than 8 x 1 day@ $10. Alternatively, you could contemplate including a year parks pass in your camp price for each family which provides them with a reason to visit parks as a family.

Unfortunately this would still be too expensive for some of these kids and their families. We attempt to make these camps available to kids from diverse family backgrounds including some with very little means.

Nuts wrote:Maybe you could link up with school or 'educational' concessionaire, provide a loose lesson plan etc?
See private schools can afford everything, the latest kit, chartered transport, interstate travel.. but not our local park fees.

I have submitted a new application with a lot more detail (including that some of the kids are actually sponsored by their schools to attend). My rejected application was admittedly a little light on, however, it was almost identical to the previous 4 years' applications which were approved without question.

Sorry, I've derailed my own thread. This was supposed to be about park fees increases, not my application rejection.

For old farts like me it is now even cheaper to fund my annual trip to Tassie ($23 p/a compared to $24.50 ) - I bought a two year pensioner pass in March for my last trip and with the extension of expiry date due to covid that the government announced I will get three annual trips out of it.

It is now cheaper to buy a regular two year pass compared to 2 x 2 month tourist passes.

Can we hear some mainlander complaints about favouritism for locals

Hopefully it will push more local people to get annual or even two-yearly passes. Financially, it has always been the best option.

Mark F wrote:
. . . Can we hear some mainlander complaints about favouritism for locals

Can we hear any suggestions from mainlanders (and foreigners) that they will boycott Tasmania due to its government's abysmal actions on this issue. For me, reading Son of a Beach's posts on this aroused considerable loathing for a government displaying such contempt for the public.

peregrinator wrote:

Mark F wrote:
. . . Can we hear some mainlander complaints about favouritism for locals

Can we hear any suggestions from mainlanders (and foreigners) that they will boycott Tasmania due to its government's abysmal actions on this issue. For me, reading Son of a Beach's posts on this aroused considerable loathing for a government displaying such contempt for the public.

But none of its past actions - such as the Malbena issue, or logging and mining in the Tarkine and elsewhere, or commercialisation of our NPs - bothers you? Amazing what it takes to wake up some people.
Not that its an issue for mainlanders for the rest of the year, because the Moat is staying closed for now. We've done a reverse boycott.

north-north-west wrote:

peregrinator wrote:

Mark F wrote:
. . . Can we hear some mainlander complaints about favouritism for locals

Can we hear any suggestions from mainlanders (and foreigners) that they will boycott Tasmania due to its government's abysmal actions on this issue. For me, reading Son of a Beach's posts on this aroused considerable loathing for a government displaying such contempt for the public.

But none of its past actions - such as the Malbena issue, or logging and mining in the Tarkine and elsewhere, or commercialisation of our NPs - bothers you? Amazing what it takes to wake up some people.
Not that its an issue for mainlanders for the rest of the year, because the Moat is staying closed for now. We've done a reverse boycott.

Yes, those issues you mention, along with others such as the two out of three Capes, do bother me. I don't know why you assume otherwise.

In a progressive world park fees would would be Zip! With monuments erected in homage to the responsible politician.

Nuts wrote:In a progressive world park fees would would be Zip! With monuments erected in homage to the responsible politician.

I'd vote for you Nuts!

Seconded! Well, I'd vote for everyone on this forum, but maybe we're all too sensible to be politicians.

haha, the nuts party, I like it.. but there's already one.
An act to remove politicians from any further or future interference in parks management would be my only platform
(they can take their leasors with them)

Son of a Beach on 17 August 2020 wrote:...for the annual youth camp that I've been helping to run for the past few years... for the first time this year, PWS have rejected our application for an educational exemption because the exemptions are for (and I quote), "bone-fide (sic) educational purposes, not leisure activities". I find it quite disturbing that the PWS bureaucracy thinks that fun and education are mutually exclusive. Some of them must have had a terrible upbringing. I mean, of all people you'd think that PWS would appreciate that education can be achieved by enjoyable activities.

In my opinion, it is impossible for a child to NOT learn some valuable lessons on their first overnight bushwalk. I mean life lessons like this, learned while out doing/being/seeing are at least as valuable as formal maths, science and english from a book. I could not sleep last night. I was so upset. (Yes, I am trying to have the decision overturned.)

At an extra $80 $40 each, I don't think the camp would be feasible at all. Some of these kids' families can't afford the camp fees even without this additional cost (some get sponsored to attend by generous schools or other entities who appreciate the benefit to particular children).

So as not to further side track the this topic, I'm going to post some follow-up to a new topic at, Tas PWS Deny Edu Exemption to Fees for grade 6-8 kids camp.