National Parks not Hunting or Tourism Parks

Shooters attack park integrity

Wilderness to be opened to horse riding

Development abuse of parks

 

National Parks under attack! Help nature claim them back!

Shooters attack park integrity

Bad news! The Shooter's legislation for hunting in national parks has been passed by the NSW Government. The shooters' law will lock everyone else out of parks, put lives in danger, wreck park tourism and spread feral pests. But its not over!

National Parks are worth fighting for and public opposition continues through rolling public protests. Join these protests. The Colong Foundation will doggedly pursue the NSW Government over this appauling decision. The Shooters and Fishers Party and the NSW Government have miscalculated.

The consequences of opening up national parks to hunting are dire and cannot be tolerated.

Not that the Opposition is a clean skin. They set up the Game Council and approved the spending of $5.6 million of taxpayers money on the Southern Highland Shooting Complex beside the Nattai Wilderness. As a result, 1000 hectares of World Heritage quality bushland has been destroyed. 

Plans to open wilderness to horse riding

Horse riders are seeking a trial access to the last bastion, precious wilderness. This trail needn't  happen. The environmental damage arising from horse riding is well known. This is another classic example of political decision making that compromises national parks.

Development abuse of parks 

The National Parks and Wildlife Amendment (Visitors and Tourists) Act 2010, passed by the previous administration has weakened the laws that protect our national parks from privatisation and commercial exploitation. The Environment Minister now has discretion over leases that don't need to be subject to the nature conservation purposes of National Parks. The Colong Foundation expects more development abuse of our national park estate.

The Shooters and Fishers Party is chairing an Upper House Committee Inquiry into Public Lands is reviewing the reservation of national parks, especially the River Red Gum parks and examining "sustainable use" as a way of delivering conservation outcomes. The Colong Foundation's submission rejects this inquiry's bias towards seeing protected areas as a cornucopia of resources to be exploited.

The Shooters and Fishers Party has also given notice of a motion to amend the Wilderness Act 1987 and the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 with respect to the management of wilderness areas so as to allow horse riding and mountain bike riding everywhere in these areas.

Other environmental laws under attack

There's plenty to be wild about in NSW. Our planning and land clearing laws are also under attack by property and development interests.

Send an email

Please express your disappointment by emailing the following MPs. Ask that National Parks be kept free of huning and development. Ask that they will repeal the hunting from national parks law and the Ministerial discretion over whether any lease or development meets the heritage conservation requirements of the National Parks and Wildlife Act. The protection of national parks from adverse impacts of recreational hunting and privatisation is essential:

Tell them , loud and clear, national parks are for nature.

Premier Barry O'Farrell - thepremier@www.nsw.gov.au

Environment Minister Robyn Parker - office@parker.minister.nsw.gov.au

Opposition Leader John Robertson - LOP@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Shadow Environment Minister Luke Foley - luke.foley@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Join the campaign. Together we can protect our precious national parks for nature and our kids.