The Great Koala National Park was a NSW Labor election commitment in response to findings that the koala could be extinct in this state by 2050, largely due to habitat destruction and fragmentation. The National Parks Association first proposed the Great Koala National Park 10 years ago to add 175,000 hectares to the national park estate and protect 20 percent of the state’s wild koalas.

Public consultation on delivering the park has commenced but logging continues within the proposed park and the industry is lobbying to have boundaries reduced. Continued deforestation will reduce the future park’s ability to protect biodiversity.

Native forest logging is heavily subsidised by state and federal governments in an industry plagued by environmental breaches. That funding should be reinvested in transitioning affected workers and communities to sustainable industries.

In Parliament, I called on the government to declare the Great Koala National Park as a matter of urgency and support a transition for the forestry industry.

My speech > HERE.