The federal government has “gone missing” when it comes to funding for the Cradle Mountain Master Plan, Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin says.
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Mr Martin’s comments come a day after federal Treasurer Scott Morrison handed down his third budget, which offered no money for the Cradle Mountain Master Plan.
In March 2017, a $1 million federal grant to investigate a cable car and major tourism redevelopment at Cradle Mountain was made available.
The 2017-18 state budget committed $21.8 million to the master plan, which seeks to improve the visitor experience for visitors to the iconic site into the future.
The Hodgman government has also stumped up a further $35 million for the proposed cableway and new tourism experience.
Mr Martin said the state had been left to “pick up the tab”.
He said the TICT had originally envisaged $30 million coming from the state government and $30 million from the Commonwealth for the cableway.
“We’ve given up on [the federal government] on Cradle,” Mr Martin said.
“Cradle Mountain is an example of the regional economic development project but also managing visitation into a World Heritage Area.
“The Australian government has a responsibility in that area. We’ve tried many different ways to get money out of the Australian government on this one and they just go missing.”
Mr Martin said he believed the prospective Cradle Mountain cableway would be the “most significant thing to happen to Tasmanian tourism, alongside Mona, this century”.
“The scale of that has changed the game and we could have started that process earlier if the feds had made a commitment of some description,” he said.
Cradle Coast Authority chairman and former Braddon Labor MHR Sid Sidebottom welcomed the 2018-19 federal budget’s investment into improving the Bass Highway corridor and improving data collection and renewed flood mapping in the wake of the 2016 floods.
Mr Sidebottom reiterated the CCA’s commitment to the Cradle Coast community pathway project and said he would be “reaching out” to the state’s federal representatives to seek assistance.
“As a region, the Cradle Coast will certainly benefit from some of the items handed down in Tuesday night’s budget,” he said.
“We … look forward to securing funding that will take us closer to realising the Cradle Mountain Master Plan.
“The state government’s investment in the priority project is most welcome, but without the federal government chipping in, there is still a significant shortfall.”
