Law boosts certainty on DOC land concessions

Tourism businesses active on public conservation land should have increased certainty about their operating concessions on the land under a law change.

Examples of the hundreds of businesses affected by the law change on Conservation Department-administered land include ski fields, guided walks, jet boat trips, nature tours, kayak tours and helicopter companies.

The improvements in concessions on land administered by DOC came after amendments to the Conservation Act 1987, Anderson Lloyd Lawyers associate Fiona McLeod said.

Other concession holders include wind and hydro power generators, accommodation providers and film and advertisement companies. These companies might operate on a concession typically lasting five years.

“Companies operating in public conservation land areas have experienced difficulties at the time of concessions renewals and the Government's latest changes allow for operations to continue during the renewal process, which will help prevent unnecessary business disruption,” McLeod said.

The Conservation Amendment Act 2012 is the latest in a line of changes to the Conservation Act that flow from DOC's 2010 review of the concessions-processing regime.

The changes introduced by the 2012 Amendment Act took effect on August 31.

One change allows existing concession holders to continue to operate during the process of applying for a replacement concession even if their term has expired.

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