Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / NT DEPWS Senior Park Development Officer Neva McCartney says interstate tourists will now need to buy a Park Pass to explore the NT’s natural wonders

Transcript

NT DEPWS Senior Park Development Officer Neva McCartney says interstate tourists will now need to buy a Park Pass to explore the NT’s natural wonders · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, parks passes are going to apply to interstate and
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: international visitors from today. If you're a Northern Territory resident,
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: you don't require a pass. However, rangers may ask for
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: proof of residency. So joining me on the line to
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: tell us a little bit more about the new system.
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: How exactly it is going to work? Is Neva McCartney.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: McCarthy McCartney, Sorry, I got it right the first time,
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: the Senior Park Development and Strategic Projects Manager. Good morning
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: to you.
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: Neva, Good morning Katie.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: Now tell me how exactly is this going to work?
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: So the park's pass, as you say, came in today.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: It's an online purchase through the online booking system. And
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: as you did say, it applies to interstate and international
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: visitors and Northern Territory residents. So rangers might ask for
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: visitors to the parks to show their park path and
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: they can do that. They can print it out or
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: have it on their phone and charactery. Residents who don't
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: have one will be asked to provide some form by
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: D and so Neva, what areas exactly does this relate to?
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: So it doesn't apply to all parks. The list of
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: parks that does apply to about fifty out of the
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: eighty five is online. The pretty easy ones to know
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: which ones you don't need one for, so urban parks
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: like Casuarina and roadside stops and those sorts of parks
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: they owned play.
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: And obviously, as you've touched on, people need to jump
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: online to book, and that is the interstate and overseas visitors.
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: But will there be rangers around checking on everybody? How
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: will that side of things work?
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there will be rangers around. They won't be checking
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: on everyone obviously, but they will be doing compliance checks
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: and other you know, on their daily patrols or other patrols,
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: and will get probably the busiest parks the ones that
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: will be more interested in that people are doing the
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: right thing. Most people do, so they'll be out there
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: and about. But look, I think the important thing to
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: say is for the first bit, it's bit like when
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: we introduce walking fees and camping fees online, is that
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: as an education component, we expect that there'll be people
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: out there today already camping who won't have one because
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: it only came in today. So there'll be some leaning
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: and fe and some understanding and flexibilities.
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: And NEVA, what is the reason for those park fees.
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: Obviously it's a decision made by government. But do we know,
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: you know, is that money going to be reinvested back
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: into the parks.
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Then yes, it will be reinvested back in the parks.
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: It's in the budget papers to come back for us.
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: We've got a reinvestment plan that we're doing, or an
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: investment plan, i should say, rather than reinvestment, so we'll
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: be looking at upgrading infrastructure, perhaps putting a new infrastructure.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: It will also help pay for additional ranges where we
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: need them, as we know places like Lichfield definitely need
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: some more resourcing support physically. So yeah, it'll be a
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: lot of things that will go out there, and it's
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: in recognition of day use, so that you know, the
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: visitors turn up and they've got toilets that are running
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: and they've got nice amenities and nice picnic tables and
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: all those sorts of things. Mow graph contractors etc.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: And you did touch on this just a moment to go.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: There is obviously a situation where you know, if you're
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: going on those hiking trails and things like that, there
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: is a booking system for those as well. Now, how's
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: it all been going? Has that booking system been working
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: quite well?
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: It has been working quite well, albeit we all know
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: we had a little bit of a glitch when we
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: first started off. But today was the first online for
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: the Parks Past. You go live day for the Parks Past,
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: and it went extremely well. We didn't get one call
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: or one email you know, of eight point thirty when
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: we went live, and actually it popped up in the
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: middle of the night, as these things do, and there
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: was already sixty or seventy passes by now I think
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: have been purchased. So it's working in my mind very well.
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: Excellent. So how many did you say have already been purchased?
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: About sixty or seventy.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Oh, that's good to hear. And I mean, obviously it
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: shows that there are people that are wanting to get
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: out there, get into the parks. Is there any like
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: do we know if Territorians are going to get to
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: the point where they're going to have to pay for
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: parks access?
• 4:26
  Speaker 2: Also, no, it's never been a part of it. It
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: was always that territorians are going to remain free. That's
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: the brief that we've got that We've got no other
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: advice to say the country.
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: Well, that is good to hear, and I'm sure that
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: a lot of people will be pleased to hear that.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: Anything else we should be aware of when it comes
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: to the parks passes or anything else that's happening at
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: the moment, Well, look.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: I think with the parks path, if people don't have
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: your need an account to be able to purchase one.
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: So for people out there that don't have an account,
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: you know, they just want to day pass. They're in
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: here for not very long, not that that usually happens,
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: but the customer service teams always there and they can
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: assist people with those bookings as well.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and I'm assuming that then when it comes to
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: the dry season as well, in the next next few
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: weeks or the next couple of months, I guess things
• 5:21
  Speaker 1: are going to get a bit busier out now Parks
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: two even for our locals sort of making sure that
• 5:25
  Speaker 1: they're booking their spots too.
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, it does book up quick, and I know
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: a lot of people are waiting for that their favorite
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: park or their favorite spot to open up because we
• 5:35
  Speaker 2: did have such a good web season and not so
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: good for opening things up early. So yeah, once it's available,
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: the infantry will become available on the online booking system,
• 5:45
  Speaker 2: so keep an eye out for that, and yet booking
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: early because they are filling up really quick since we've
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: been online.
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: Well, Neva McCartney, Senior Park Development and Strategic Projects, I
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: really appreciate your time this morning. Thanks so much for
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: having a chat
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: With us, no worries at all, Thank you, thank you.