Monday, Mar 31, 2014 at 13:49
Permits fall into various categories and are administered by various bodies, some run by Government and some run by aboriginal corporations or the communities themselves.
The majority of permits are FREE and freely issued. All permits issued through the DAA and CLC are free and largely instantaneous. Those that are out of the ordinary may take a little longer as they may involve community consultation.
In some areas, Local aboriginal corporations may charge you an entry/access fee. This is generally contributed towards improving the amenity of the area or encouraging programs within the local community. Not much different than paying $6 per night to
camp in a National
Park.
On the Canning you don't actually need a permit to travel the stock route PROVIDING you don't stray more than a few hundred metres from the route. The Permit issued by the NFWDCA provides access to all those side areas such as Durba. The money is used to improve areas along the route, provide signage,
Ranger training and promote opportunity within the indigenous communities through whose land the track passes.
Look at it this way. Most land in the east coast is privately or government owned. If it’s National or State
park, you pay for the privilege of wandering around or
camping there. You do not have an implied right of entry to farmland or private property either. If you were a farmer with a fantastic bush block that overlooked a nice piece of coastline, would it be wrong for you to swing open the
gate and charge passing punters $15 for the privilege of
camping on your land? Same diff. You need to remember that the Traditional Owners of the land have been provided with custodianship of the lands in which they live. In most cases you are provided with entry free or for a nominal fee.
People can moan all you like about where the $5.00 you’ve paid goes but does it matter? Entry is not a right, it’s a privilege and given at the discretion of the land owners, same as your back yard. The monies are accountable all you need to due is identify the particular group or council and access their annual reports on line. The corporation and community websites will generally outline the programs and initiatives that the funding supports.
Far too often people confuse the issue of permits with the emotive raft of social ills that plague the communities or the money provided to any number of support
services by governments. This comparison should be avoided. Permits and access fees are simply a question about what rights the owners of the land have, be they T/O’s or a Gippsland farmer.
Cheers Mick
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