Saving Jobs in Parks and Wildlife

The Petition of the undersigned citizens of Tasmania draws to the attention of the House:

Tasmania's first national parks were created over a century ago. Management remained somewhat ad hoc until the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service (PWS) was created in 1970. This rapidly evolved into a highly regarded land management agency with appropriate professional staff to manage Tasmania's greatly expanded, world-class reserve system.

Major proposed cutbacks to staff within the PWS have recently been revealed, with the potential loss of multiple positions in planning, monitoring and evaluation, biosecurity and conservation science.

The capacity of the PWS has long been barely adequate to undertake all essential roles required of a professional land management agency. The proposed cuts to staff currently involved in these tasks must only make this situation worse. Support for front-line staff and hence service delivery will be further reduced, and capacity for strategic planning largely curtailed.

Further funding reductions or loss of positions will also restrict the capacity of the PWS to fulfil its statutory obligations in regard to nature conservation and land management.

Your petitioners, therefore, request the House to call on the Government to:

• Maintain funding so that all positions are retained and the skilled knowledge needed for professional management of Tasmania's world-class reserve system is not lost.
• Reallocate the funds provided for the Tyndall Range 'Next Iconic Walk' to support the above objective.