The island community campaigned to bring this development back to the original concept with support from many organisations such as the Royal Society of SA, Conservation SA, the Wilderness Society SA, the National Trust SA, Field Naturalists Society of SA, KI Natural Resources Management Board, and Friends of Parks groups across South Australia.
We made our message clear to the developers and the department that we needed them to act and change their plans. We established a case for the development to be challenged in the Supreme Court for:
- not being legal under the SA National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972
- not according with the “Flinders Chase National Park, Kelly Hill Conservation Park, Ravine des Casoars Wilderness Protection Area and Cape Bouguer Wilderness Protection Area Management Plans” (adopted in 2000 with amendment in 2017)
- proceeding without appropriate community consultation
- proceeding without a legitimate environmental assessment of the potential impacts on nationally threatened species and referral under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Our case was to be heard by the Full Bench of the SA Supreme Court. The directions hearing before Chief Justice Kourakis in the case that Kangaroo Island Eco-Action has brought against Australian Walking Company and the State Government of South Australia, was held (briefly and virtually) on 1 April 2020. The matter was listed for a further directions hearing on 5 February 2021. All parties consented to the delay and conditions. Read here for the latest update.
Public parks not private playgrounds 