Arapiles/Dyurrite a week on

Since news of the draft plan of management for Arapiles-Tooan state park broke 9 days ago, there has been a lot of action.

Climbers could be forgiven for thinking that there was a lack of direction in the earlier days but the community has come up with some great initiatives. There has been many amazing pieces of writing that express the heartfelt loss that would result for climbers if this draft plan proceeds.

Story telling initiatives and films have started to appear and they convey a powerful message. Some of these can be found here. We previously shared the Barenji Gadjin website Dyurrite.com.au where other powerful messages appear. 

For one of the first times ever, climbing organisations from every state and the ACT met online to discuss strategy and support and fundraising. They will continue to meet and are rapidly looking at various fundraising alternatives to ensure that any money raised is used transparently and in the interest of preserving rock climbing at Mt Arapiles.

If anyone has followed climbing politics in Victoria over the past few years, you will be aware that there are complexities in the situation.  Climbing Victoria represents multiple clubs and organisations. It was recently incorporated and includes many established organisations, including Victorian Climbing Club and Crags Stewards Victoria, Outdoor Victoria, Climbing QTs, RMIT Outdoors Club and Western Victorian Climbing Club. It arose from the Climbing Victoria Advisory Council. 

ACAV (Australian Climbing Association Victoria) formed independently when the Grampians issues became apparent in 2019. It is a state-based organisation focused on access. (ACAQ and ACANSW are also independent state-based organisations focused on access in their own states). 

The tone of messaging from these two Victorian organisations is different, but it does give Victorian climbers options, including supporting both organisations.  The organisations are working towards the same ends.

An open letter to the Premier Jacinta Allan and Minister for Environment, Steve Dimopoulos, was shared widely within 3 days of the announcement of the draft plan. It was endorsed by the climbing organisations in every state and the ACT. It is still accruing signatures, especially from international climbers. At present there are over 8800 signatories including many businesses and organisations and this interim result was presented to the Minister by Climbing Victoria yesterday. We encourage people to continue to sign. The impact on international tourism is something that the state government will listen to. 

Parliamentary petition: Politically, the local member Emma Kealy is sponsoring a parliamentary petition (this can only be signed by Victorians). The petition, like the letter, seeks proper consultation. It needs 10000 signatures to be debated in parliament with a ministerial reply within 30 days. It is currently about half way to that target.

The local member,  Emma Kealy MP, is also arranging to ask a question on the floor of Parliament tomorrow in Melbourne and has arranged media opportunities for climbers and CV representatives will be in the gallery. The event is mentioned here.

Yesterday Climbing Victoria representatives met with the Minister for Parks Victoria, Steve DimopoulosMP
and today Climbing Victoria released this press release

"Three members of Climbing Victoria met at the Victorian Parliament with Minister Steve Dimopoulos and his Senior Advisor on Tuesday. The Minister had a number of questions to clarify the history and the current status from Climbing Victoria’s perspective. He demonstrated genuine interest and listened carefully to our responses.

Minister Dimopoulos broadly supported the need for effective consultation under these circumstances and indicated that he and his team would quickly consider what might be able to be done to improve the engagement process so that we could be fairly heard.

Minister Dimopoulos’s team will endeavour to get back to us within a week with some possibilities."

It needs to be remembered that throughout the Grampians closures, the previous minister, failed to give an audience to climbers, so this is a step in the right direction.
 

ACAV has also been meeting with members of Parliament and David Limbrick MP also asked questions on the floor

Tonight Parks Victoria had an online public “engagement“.

The questions that many people raised were collated and put under themes and these 31 questions were submitted ahead of time to the meeting. They were largely not answered. You can read the questions and a summary as to which questions were answered in the attached document (right at the bottom of this page). 

PV did concede that the Gariwerd Wimmera Reconciliation Network is not a climbing organisation and they were wrong to imply that climbers had been consulted. Despite this admission they did not acknowledge their statutory obligations to consult relevant parties.

The closures are making international headlines in climbing media  

Where to from here-

Unless the minister is able to direct PV to extend its 28 day deadline and to reassess its draft plan taking climbers input into account, submissions for this draft plan will have to be in by December 2. Some excellent examples of submissions already exist but it is important to relay in your own words the dissatisfaction you feel, addressing points in the draft plan. Although it is stated that the closed areas will not be altered your submission should refute this. Climbing organisations will be helping by providing examples, but cut and paste submissions hold less value.

Sign the open letter if you have not done so. 

If you know people in Victoria, encourage them to sign the Parliamentary petition.

Actions like FOI are being pursued to clarify the opaque assessment process.

Legal avenues to force a review of the draft plan are being considered. 

We would encourage everyone to remain respectful, as the overwhelming majority of people have done to date. Civil disobedience has its place, but it is likely to be harmful at the present time. (Lawful protest is different to civil disobedience).

 

See the document linked below for the Questions put to PV, the answers provided around questions in broad themes and interpretation of these (highlighted).

 

 

For more information download this document