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Office of the Coordinator-General

Process

The Office of the Coordinator-General manages the Tourism Expression of Interest (Tourism EOI) process and coordinates relevant internal and external advice in preparation for assessment by the Assessment Panel.

The Assessment Panel makes recommendations via the Office of the Coordinator-General to the Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing.

The Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing provides a recommendation to the Minister for Parks.

Should the Minister for Parks accept the recommendation of the Tourism EOI Assessment Panel that a concept progresses to the next stage, the proponent will then be invited to commence formal assessment and approvals through the relevant authority, which may include Local, State and Commonwealth Governments. At this stage, project information including the project name, proponent details, project summary and stage of approvals processes will be made publicly available through the website of the Office of the Coordinator-General.

If a proponent receives all of the required approvals, then they will be able to progress to final lease/licence negotiations with Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS).

Tourism EOI Proposals that have not previously been considered will be evaluated by an Assessment Panel against the three Assessment Criteria that encompass the Guiding Principles:

Guiding principles

  1. Proposed developments should be compatible with and sensitive to the cultural, natural and strategic values of the site and seek to enhance broader visitor enjoyment of the state’s reserve estate and Crown lands.
  2. New proposed developments should offer innovative, sustainable and appropriate visitor experiences that provide broader social, environmental and economic benefit.
  3. New proposed developments offering environmental, cultural or heritage-based tourism experiences that engage, involve or benefit local communities (including Tasmanian Aboriginal people) are encouraged.
  4. Proponents must demonstrate the qualifications, experience and capacity to establish and operate the proposed development in a commercially viable manner.
  5. Proposed developments should be established and managed in an ecologically sustainable manner and should be designed to minimise the environmental footprint on the site.
  6. Proposed developments should be compatible with the statutory management objectives and purpose of the reserves in the relevant legislation. However, a participant is not excluded from lodging a Tourism EOI submission for a Proposed Development that may not be fully compatible with the current statutory and regulatory framework, except in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA). Proposals in the TWWHA must be fully consistent with the TWWHA Management Plan and TWWHA Tourism Master Plan.[1]
  7. Proposed developments should take account of associated risks relating to natural events for the proposed settings, for example, bushfires or flooding.

Assessment criteria

  1. The appropriateness of the proposed development to a particular site including social, environmental and economic benefits created for the community.
  2. The qualifications of the participant to establish and operate the proposed development.
  3. The commercial and financial viability of the proposed development.

The Assessment Panel and the Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing may seek further information from the applicant and other relevant sources, including regulatory authorities, as required. Aboriginal Heritage Tasmania (AHT), and, where appropriate, the Aboriginal Heritage Council, will be provided the opportunity for input on each proposal early in the assessment process.

If there are competing applicants for a particular activity or type of proposal at a site that all meet the eligibility criteria to a similar level, then a competitive process may be run to determine the most suitable and economically viable proposal(s) for the site. Where a new submission is in the same or similar location and is perceived to compete with existing proposals that have received concept acceptance through this Tourism EOI, the new proponent may be informed that the existing applicant/s, as with all projects, have a set timeframe to demonstrate progress on their proposals through the relevant local, State and Commonwealth approvals processes. Should the existing applicant/s not meet the defined milestones, the submissions may lapse and new applications may be able to progress.

Subsequent steps

Should the Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing and the Minister for Parks accept the recommendation of the EOI Assessment Panel for the concept to progress to the next stage, the project proponent will be invited to commence formal assessment processes (including a Reserve Activity Assessment (RAA) or Crown Land and public reserve assessment processes with PWS). If successful in obtaining all relevant approvals as required by Australian, Tasmanian and/or Local Government authorities, the proponent will then progress to final negotiations with PWS for a lease/licence arrangement.

Key timings

EOI Assessment and Notification 2 – 6 months

Demonstrated progress[2] 6 months

Footnotes:

[1] Where a proposal requires the contemplation of a change to a management plan outside of the TWWHA, a cost/ benefit analysis will be conducted to ensure the proposal brings overall value to the Tasmanian environment and economy. A proponent needs to be aware that a management plan review may not deliver an outcome that is compatible with the proposal’s objectives.

[2] Within 6 months of the Minister for Parks accepting the recommendation of the Tourism EOI Assessment Panel that a concept progresses to the next stage, proponents must demonstrate significant progress towards seeking subsequent project approvals in order to continue in the process. Significant progress may include the lodgement of the final Environmental Impact Statement, Development Application to the relevant Council, or substantial progress towards the RAA and/or other relevant approvals. Financial investment made will also be considered.