AUSTRALIA’S peak ecotourism body has removed a case study promoting Arthurs Seat Eagle from its website, one day after receiving a formal complaint from peninsula community group Save Our Seat – though Ecotourism Australia says the decision was an administrative update, not a response to the complaint.
The case study, published on 29 November 2023, documented the Eagle’s completion of Ecotourism Australia’s Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard (a self-assessment and benchmarking tool for tourism businesses) in June 2023.
Save Our Seat lodged a formal written complaint on 25 June 2026 requesting its removal, arguing the case study amounted to an endorsement of the Eagle’s environmental credentials that was incompatible with its plans to build a “rollercoaster-style luge” in Arthurs Seat State Park.
“One of the people in our group had just been Googling [the Eagle’s] environmental credentials, and this came up,” said Save Our Seat’s Tony Robertson.
“It did seem a bit galling that this case study seemed a pretty enthusiastic endorsement of their environmental credentials, and it just seemed so incompatible with [the plans] up there to bulldoze vegetation and to have this concrete steel structure down the hill.”
The Eagle disputes key elements of the complaint and rejects the suggestion that its development plans are incompatible with ecotourism principles.
“Environmental stewardship has been an important part of Arthurs Seat Eagle’s operations since opening,” said Arthurs Seat Eagle CEO, Matthew Mulkearns.
“The proposed development remains subject to extensive permit conditions and oversight by relevant government authorities.
“We have sought extensive, independent consultant reports and assessment of our planned upgrades to ensure that consideration of wildlife, ecology and sustainable practices are reflected in all our decisions.
“Our focus continues to be on balancing environmental protection with sustainable tourism, local employment and regional economic benefits.”
Ecotourism Australia defended the timing of the case study’s removal in a written response to The News.
“Ecotourism Australia periodically reviews the content published across its website to ensure it remains current and aligned with the purpose of its programs and tools,” said Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Myv Costelloe.
“The Arthurs Seat Eagle case study no longer reflected a current Scorecard assessment and was therefore removed.”
The Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard is valid for 12 months upon completion, meaning the Eagle’s June 2023 assessment had been expired for approximately two years when the case study was taken down.
In written correspondence with Save Our Seat, Costelloe addressed the nature and purpose of the case study.
“While the case study does not state that Arthurs Seat Eagle is certified (and included a disclaimer to this effect), I acknowledge your view that readers could perceive its inclusion as an endorsement of the business more broadly,” said Costelloe.
“While that was not the intent of the case study, I appreciate why that perception could arise.”
Following Mulkearns’ inquiry to the organisation, Ecotourism Australia CEO, Elissa Keenan, also wrote to him separately, stating the removal “should not be interpreted as a reflection on Arthurs Seat Eagle or your participation in the Scorecard.”
Save Our Seat’s complaint also challenged the case study’s description of the Eagle as having “supported local charities such as the Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation to plant koala habitat along the gondola line.”
According to Save Our Seat, Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation (MPKC) has said it received no funding from the Eagle and has no formal partnership with the business.
Mulkearns outlined the nature of the Eagle’s relationship with MPKC in response to questions from The News.
“Arthurs Seat Eagle has never claimed to have provided financial support to Mornington Peninsula Koala Conservation.”
“Our support has instead been through practical, in-kind assistance. This included coordinating participation by our staff and grounds and maintenance teams and their families in the planting activities, providing complimentary gondola rides for volunteers on the day so they could view the restoration work, and facilitating access to the site,” he said.
He added that he had met with representatives of both MPKC and Mornington Peninsula Landcare in recent years.
“Their local knowledge and expertise could make a valuable contribution as we continue to balance environmental stewardship with the development of a tourism destination we can all be very proud of,” said Mulkearns.
“In fact, at the most recent LCRG meeting, some great suggestions were made about how local expertise can assist with the overall landscape planting and management plan.”
The state government formally approved the Arthurs Seat Eagle redevelopment in February 2026.
Save Our Seat has continued its campaign against the development since the approval was granted.
In May, wildlife advocate Craig Thomson resigned from the Eagle’s Local Community Reference Group, citing wildlife welfare concerns (Wildlife advocate quits Arthurs Seat Eagle reference group, The News 28/5/26).
Robertson said the case study’s removal did not change the group’s assessment of the Eagle’s environmental record, and that Save Our Seat’s concerns centred on the luge rather than the redevelopment as a whole.
“Until the luge proposal is abandoned, any attempt by the Eagle to market their business as a model of sustainable tourism is nothing more than greenwashing,” said Robertson.
“They can do the tower, they can redevelop the bottom station and have their interactive exhibition… they can redo the café up the top.
“But if they lose the roller coaster, then they can start the process of kind of winning their credibility back in the community,” he said.
“We remain committed to engaging with the community and providing appropriate information as we progress our plans,” said Mulkearns.
First published in the Mornington News – 14 July 2026
