I opposed legislation to facilitate the government’s plan to raise the Warragamba Dam by 14 metres because it will flood 4,700 hectares of national park and 65 kilometres of wilderness streams with muddy water, drowning fifty types of threatened plan and animal species, and destroying rare Gundungurra Aboriginal heritage. Raising dam walls is not world’s best practice for reducing flood risks and water experts have provided the government with more reliable alternatives. The real reason for this expensive and environmentally destructive project is to open up new land for housing development on the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain. My speech: HERE.

Join the campaign to protect this world heritage area: HERE

Meanwhile the government wanted praise for its meagre bill that adds 4,500 hectares of non-productive land across five different national parks. The transfers have few conservation outcomes and no impact on any environmentally destructive activity. The bill is part of the government’s koala strategy but there are no recent records of koalas and no identified koala hubs in the transfer claimed to help save the koala.

This government has not created a new national park since 2012 but has cut funding to the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service and permitted horse riding, grazing and development in national parks.

Less than nine per cent of the state is protected, far behind our 2010 commitment under the UN Convention of Biological Diversity to protect 17 per cent. During debate I called for meaningful reserves including the Great Koala National Park, Gardens of Stone Stage 2, and the Clyde Wild and Scenic River proposal. My speech: HERE