Review of Council Recreational Vehicle Overnight Camping Services  - Tasmania

The Fifth Wheeler Network has carefully considered the Directions Paper – Review of Council Recreational Vehicle Overnight Camping Services which requires that Councils charge fees for the camping grounds which are currently provided free of charge or at minimal cost.

The FWN strongly disagrees with the direction of the Review as not being in Tasmania’s best interest and has forwarded a submission to the Minister for Local Government.

Our Conclusions to our investigations and the recommendations to the Minister are shown below and the full submission can be downloaded from:

CONCLUSIONS - RESULTS OF RESEARCH

The result of the independent research has led the Fifth Wheelers Network (FWN) to the conclusion that there has been significant errors made.

The decision by the Office of the Tasmanian Economic Regulator to declare the provision of the free camps in question as “in breach of competitive neutrality principles under National Competition Policy”:

1.    is completely out of step with the decisions of other states;

2.    appears to be in breach of The Economic Regular Act 2009;

3.   does not appear to conform with the Tasmanian Government Policy “Significant Business Activities and Local Government in Tasmania, April 2004;

4.    does not fully take into account the affected market;

5.    does not take into account the travel patterns of RV travellers;

6.    will substantially increase the cost of visiting Tasmania to the advantage of the other States;

7.    will not increase the turnover of the caravan parks making the complaints, while, at the same time…

8.    …is not in the best interest of the businesses in the towns involved, and;

9.    will reduce the number of visitors to Tasmania at the expense of the Tasmanian economy;

10.  will damage the Tasmanian economy in the order of up to $40 million per year for the questionable benefit to only a handful of caravan parks.

RECOMMENDATION

The findings can lead to only one principal recommendation.

It is recommended that following the receipt of all comments and submissions to the Directions Paper, the Minister requests the Regulator to review the Regulator’s decision.  The review  should take into account the contents of all the submissions and new information including the apparent anomalies in making the decision, listed below in this submission.  The Regulator then issues a report to the Minister accordingly.

Should the Regulator not reverse the decision, then on receipt of that report, the Minister should, under Section 59 of the Economic Regulator Act provide the Regulator and the Complainant written notice that the Minister intends taking no action on the complaint.

Alternatively, the Minister should advise the Complainant, the four Councils and the Regulator that based on further information received during this public consultation period, he will reverse his previous decision under Section 59 of the Economic Regulator Act and will now take no further action on the complaint.

To do otherwise is against the best interests of the Tasmanian economy, will have a significant adverse effect on numerous small businesses directly affected, and risks causing a substantial downturn in Tasmania’s CCM traveller market, compounding the already reduced preferences of Tasmania as a destination.