Peter Wood
President
Lower Donnelly River Conservation Association Inc
PO Box 330, Pemberton, WA 6260

6 October 2008

The Hon Donna Faragher JP MLC
Minister for the Environment
Level 10 West, Dumas House
2 Havelock Street
WEST PERTH WA 6005

Dear Minister

INVITATION TO VISIT THE DONNELLY RIVER HUTS

We write to invite you to visit the Donnelly River Huts at the mouth of the Donnelly River for discussion of the future of the Huts in the context of the proposed Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux National Parks Management Plan.  

In answer to a Parliamentary question on 20 September 2007, the former Minister for the Environment stated the final Management Plan to be approved in 2008 is likely to require we relinquish occupancy of the Donnelly River Huts in 2014. We are very concerned that our submission on the Draft Management Plan of 2005 appears to have been ignored by the Conservation Commission and we seek the opportunity to meet with you on site at the Huts to:

·         demonstrate the positive contribution of the families occupying the Huts to management of the environment at the Donnelly River mouth;

·         demonstrate and discuss the heritage significance of the Huts;

·         discuss the importance of the Huts to the families and wider community that use the Huts; and

·         discuss what further efforts we can make to overcome any reasons the Conservation Commission may have to evict our families from the Huts. In our view, there were insufficient reasons on environmental grounds in the Draft Management Plan to justify our eviction from the Huts. If additional reasons have arisen since 2005, we would appreciate the opportunity to discuss them with you, and address them with remedial actions where appropriate. We have made an offer to the Department of Environment and Conservation to construct a shelter to accommodate short stay tourists and for some hut owners to provide commercial accommodation (please see attached letter to DEC of 8 April 2008). 

We would be pleased to provide transport from the Manjimup airport to the Huts and return at your convenience.  I am available on 97760627 to assist with arrangements for your visit. Background information on the Donnelly River Huts is available at http://www.donnellyriverhuts.com . 

We trust you will agree to our request and look forward to meeting with you. 

Yours sincerely 

Peter Wood

President                                                                                                            (attachment)
 

Letter sent to Department of Environment and Conservation  25 February 2008

Lower Donnelly River Conservation Association Inc

District Manager
Donnelly District (Pemberton)
Department of Environment and Conservation
Kennedy Street, Pemberton, WA 6260 

Dear Sir 

DONNELLY RIVER HUTS: COMMERCIAL TOURISM LEASE 

As you are aware, the Lower Donnelly River Conservation Association is very concerned about the future of the Donnelly River huts at the mouth of the Donnelly River in the context of the proposed Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux National Parks Management Plan. We write to seek clarification from you in regard to the Department of Environment and Conservation’s intentions for commercial accommodation at the mouth of the Donnelly River, and to suggest the Department build and trial some public accommodation, like on the Bibbulmum Track, before any move to commercialisation of the huts or other accommodation at the mouth of the Donnelly River.  

In The West Australian on 14 February 2008, in regard to the huts, you were quoted saying “., turning them over to a commercial operator was being considered.”.  Similarly, page 115 of the draft Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux National Parks Management Plan refers to “3. Investigating the establishment of camping and chalet accommodation locations as part of future commercial tourism leases at locations within the parks (eg at the Donnelly River mouth).” Families who have established and maintained the huts require and deserve clarification of the Department’s commercialisation intentions, and we ask:

1. What is intended by the statement “…turning them over to a commercial operator..”?
2. Does the Department intend turning all or only some of the huts over to a commercial operator, and if it is only some, what criteria for differentiation will be used?
3. If only some of the huts will be turned over to a commercial operator, what is the future of the other huts?
4. How advanced is consideration and planning for commercialisation?
5. What date will commercialisation commence?
6. Does the Department have a plan or documentation for commercialisation that it can make available to the Association, and will a copy be provided to the Association?
7. If the Department has a plan or documentation for commercialisation but isn’t prepared to share it with the Association and the public, would it be accessible under the Freedom of Information Act 1992?

We look forward to your prompt reply to our reasonable questions. 

The Association, constituted of hut owners, has always been prepared to share the unique mouth of the Donnelly River with visitors, and thousands of visitors have stayed in the huts on a non-commercial basis during the long history of the huts.  In the absence of any facilities provided by the Department for visitors at the mouth of the Donnelly River, we suggest the Department construct a wooden shelter of the type used on the Bibbulmum Track, which can accommodate up to 15 persons. In the Association’s view, such temporary accommodation should be built and trialed (perhaps for five years) by the Department before any shift to commercialisation of accommodation at the unique mouth of the Donnelly River. Could you please reply and advise of the Department’s response to our suggestion of a Bibbulmum Track like shelter at the mouth of the Donnelly River? 

Yours sincerely

MEDIA RELEASE      14 FEBRUARY 2008      WWW.DONNELLYRIVERHUTS.COM  

HUT OWNERS APPEAL TO MINISTER TO SAVE DONNELLY RIVER HUTS 

Families owning huts at the mouth of the Donnelly River are appealing to the Minister for the Environment to spare their huts, but are also preparing to defend their huts from demolition. 

State Minister for the Environment, David Templeman has said in Parliament and in a letter to the hut owners association that occupants will have to enter into a lease arrangement with the Department of Environment and Conservation which will expire in six years, after which they will be required to relinquish occupancy of the huts, and where necessary bear the cost of removal and rehabilitation. 

The planned eviction and demolition arises from the Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux National Parks Management Plan to be gazetted in 2008, which requires demolition of the huts if there is a refusal by occupants to accept the six year lease. 

Lower Donnelly River Conservation Association spokesperson Peter Wood said hut owners would not meekly abandon their huts and all that the huts mean to families and friends.  

Mr Wood said the Association had written to David Templeman inviting him to visit the huts so families can:

·         demonstrate the positive contribution of the families occupying the huts to management of the environment at the Donnelly River mouth;

·         demonstrate and discuss the heritage significance of the huts;

·         discuss the importance of the huts to the families and wider community that use the huts; and

·         discuss what further efforts the families can make to overcome any reasons the Government may have to evict them from the huts.  

The Association says there were insufficient reasons on environmental grounds in the draft National Parks Management Plan to justify their eviction from the huts. 

“Unfortunately, the Minister declined the Associations invitation to meet with us at the Donnelly River, so now all families and visitors who have enjoyed the huts are writing to the Minister asking him to reconsider and visit the huts. We know over 500 letters have been sent to the Minister over the past month, so he can’t say only a few people care about the huts. 

“It has taken decades to construct the huts carrying materials in by dinghy and the Government’s inflexible policy requiring we demolish our huts and remove the materials is both impractical and cruel. 

“This is a very different situation to coastal huts north of Perth that the Government forced demolition of, where there were roads for access of equipment and trucks to cart debris away. 

“At the Donnelly River there are no roads to bring in demolition machines and for trucks to cart debris away safely; including asbestos and glass which is better left in place in the huts. 

“We want the Minister to acknowledge the pioneering spirit of the families who built the huts and arrange a reasonable lease of twenty or thirty years,” Mr Wood said. 

For further information contact:  Peter Wood on 97760627 or 0427771922