18 October 2018
Berejiklian lets Nationals dictate Coalition environment policy once again
Revelations the Berejiklian government dumped plans to add 75,00 hectares to the national parks estate show once again her willingness to give in to National Party demands. [1]
“Almost 75,000 hectares of prime wildlife habitat remains open to mining and logging because the National Party spat the dummy and the Premier lost her nerve,” Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski said.
“This is a familiar pattern for the Coalition government in NSW. The Premier has repeatedly let the National Party override her Liberal Party Environment Minister and dictate environment policy to the whole of the state.
“We saw it last year when the she let the Nationals push through new land-clearing laws. We saw it again last month when she let the Nationals gut the Sydney Marine Park proposal by ruling out sanctuary zones.
“Premier Berejiklian should stand up for nature in NSW and not be bullied by the National Party or cower to the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party.”
Only 9% of our state is in a healthy and near natural condition and the koala is tracking towards extinction, and each year at least 30,000 hectares of forests and bushland are bulldozed or logged in NSW.
“Expanding national parks is a key way to ensure our kids will be able to see koalas in the wild and experience the beauty of our natural environment,” Ms Smolski said.
“There has never been a more important time to establish more national parks. Additions to the national parks system have slowed to a trickle under the Coalition, which has turned its back on a once proud tradition of conservation.”
The conservation movement’s platform for the 2019 NSW election [2] sets out a clear plan to strengthen the state’s national parks system, including:
- doubling the size of the reserve system
- establishing a Great Koala National Park near Coffs Harbour, and
- expanding of the Gardens of Stone National Park near Lithgow
[1] www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/plan-to-increase-nsw-national-parks-scuttled-by-berejiklian-government-20181015-p509qz.html
[2] https://www.nature.org.au/media/324115/final-election-platform-2019-single-pagescompressed.pdf
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Forests and wildlife
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