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Friends of Fraser Island believe that the time is ripe to abandon the current management of Fraser Island and put in place a private enterprise group to manage the Island. A private enterprise group would look at the cost/benefit of monies spent on the Island and perhaps we would see an acceptable accountability replace the wanton waste currently being thrown at the Island. Visitors to Fraser Island for the forthcoming Easter holidays will be pleased to find that the boardwalk along Eli Creek has been rebuilt. We have not been told of the cost of that rebuild but for the Wangoolba Ck boardwalk to cost $700000 is prohibitive. Over the years regular visitors have put up with the cost of the access fee and the accelerated cost of barges fares. They have reluctantly accepted that the access fee is necessary to pay for the infrastructure necessary in a World Heritage Site. What Friends of Fraser Island is very unhappy about is the absolute waste of money thrown about Fraser Island. The Queensland Government seems to have an almost cavalier attitude to the spending of public monies. People who have built their own homes on Fraser Island know that there is a premium to be paid because of the remoteness of the Island but to have to pay $700000 for a boardwalk is stretching creditability to the maximum. It must have gold plated rails. For quite some time Friends of Fraser Island have been calling for greater accountability of money spent on Fraser Island. So far the Government has been so arrogant as to ignore the pleas from well-regarded citizens. The time must be fast approaching when even the arrogant members of this State Government must be questioning the accountability of the management of Fraser Island. Yes, the walkway needed repair or even major surgery but how $700000 can be justified I just don’t know. The amount spent on other capital works also beggars belief. We have asked for a breakdown on the building costs but to date have not received an answer. One must wonder just how much of the cost is apportioned to the various departments that have an interest in what is being done. If private enterprise was in control and not just contracted to do specific jobs a leaner operation would result. Quite clearly too the employees of a private enterprise would have different conditions and a different culture would result. The abuse many parks officers receive just because they are carrying out the Gestapo type instructions they have to abide by would also be a thing of the past. People might be able to relax and enjoy themselves with out worrying about someone looking over their shoulder all the time. Now that would be novel!
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