A private developer seeks another extension on his lease for Halls Island in Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area, amid growing demands to terminate it due to project delays, a liquidated company, and a deteriorating heritage hut.
Proposal’s Long History
Daniel Hackett proposed a premium fly-in fly-out standing camp on Halls Island in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park over a decade ago. This marked one of the initial private tourism ventures in the area under plans to access previously restricted zones. Public entry to the island still requires permission, and the original company has entered liquidation.
Opposition from Conservationists and Politicians
Greens MP Tabatha Badger criticizes the ongoing lease, calling it “beyond a joke.” She highlights the leaseholder’s liquidation and failure to pay fees, questioning the government’s rationale for continued trust in the developer.
“It is completely unreasonable that the proponent is continually being trusted with this lease,” Badger stated. “Really, the question is now on what possible grounds does the government have to leave this lease in this proponent’s hands?”
Heritage Hut’s Plight
Liz McQuilkin, daughter of Reg Hall—known as the ‘Father of the Walls of Jerusalem’ who built the heritage-listed hut—expressed betrayal in a letter read in parliament. Hall mapped the area and transferred the lease to McQuilkin, who later passed it to Hackett with conditions to preserve the hut and keep the island open to all, free from development.
“Mr Hackett betrayed our understanding by proposing a helicopter tourism development for the island, and the hut is rapidly deteriorating,” the letter states.
Badger has personally observed the hut’s degradation and insists maintenance does not require approvals or helicopters, as other groups handle it manually.
Federal Approval Delays
Hackett formally requested the extension, citing active engagement in the federal assessment process started in 2018 with the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW). The project awaits additional information on cultural heritage impacts, following a 2023 request.
Documents from Freedom of Information requests reveal Hackett’s regular follow-ups, including on hut restoration. He claims to have provided all required data on wilderness values, wedge-tailed eagles, and Indigenous heritage, describing delays as creating an “information vacuum.”
“It took them 12 months to respond to a single email from myself, which illustrates the scale of the challenges for proponents,” Hackett said.
Cross-Party Push for Cancellation
A March 27 letter to Acting Parks Minister Madeleine Ogilvie, signed by Greens, independents Bec Thomas and David O’Byrne, and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Carlo Di Falco, demands lease cancellation. It cites urgent maintenance needs neglected by the leaseholder and supports the Mountain Huts Preservation Society taking over.
“We firmly believe national parks and our globally recognised Wilderness World Heritage Area should be accessible to all Tasmanians, and that the current exclusive possession lease over the island is completely inappropriate,” the letter reads.
Hackett argues he lacks air access permissions for maintenance due to federal delays, warning against transferring private huts on Crown land to nonprofits.
Government’s Position
Heritage Tasmania will review recent hut images and request a condition update from Hackett. A spokesperson for Ogilvie notes the minister cannot unreasonably withhold extensions while federal assessments continue.
Badger warns that repeated renewals undermine protections in the World Heritage Area. “This is a world heritage area—it should have the highest protection and the highest accountability,” she said. “It is just time to end this once and for all.”
