Reply To: Quarries- Access, Gates and Bookings

Naughty Rich

It is really important not to paint DEC as the enemy. Whilst the attitudes do vary somewhat between areas depending on who is sitting in the seat and their knowledge of various sporting activities, certainly our experience with the people in Perth in recent years has been very positive. And as I have said in previous website postings, in general, DEC is not out to stop us climbing. Just ask the mountain bikers-DEC has worked with them in developing areas.

In some situations, it is a case of educating people about the sport because ignorance breeds fear. I mean really, after watching Stallone in Cliffhanger who can blame them? 🙂 In other cases, it can certainly be more difficult if the people we deal with are stuck in a certain mindset and unwilling to incorporate new information and reassess their position. I have certainly come up against some arrogant and ignorant people in dealing with access and other issues. But isn’t this the case in all areas of life?

I also have an objection to over-regulation and the lack of personal responsibility it encourages. But one of the issues is that our society has become more litigious. As long as our legal system encourages this then we will see an escalation of the problem. And obviously people like DEC and other land managers will make policies accordingly.