Hansard debates

Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (13:05): My question is for the Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change in her capacity as the responsible minister for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. The Cape Otway lighthouse has been run incredibly well for the last 24 years by its current lessees, who have maintained and improved the site and provided an amazing and memorable visitor experience to literally millions of visitors over that time. It is a huge attraction, bringing people from across Victoria, Australia and internationally, and with 26 full-time staff is an important local employer. DELWP’s failure to negotiate a new long-term lease now means the heartbroken operators have no choice but to hand back the keys on 30 June this year. My question for the minister is: why have you failed to do everything possible to enable a viable long-term lease offer? What can you do to now avoid this terrible loss?