The first bill tabled for debate in the newly elected NSW Government in 2023 is an act to prohibit forestry operations from being carried out in koala habitats.
The Forestry Amendment (Koala Habitats) Bill 2023 would make it an offence to carry out forestry operations in areas of regional koala significance (ARKS) as published on the SEED Map or in areas that have been assessed as koala habitat by a suitably qualified person that has relevant tertiary qualifications and has experience in fauna surveys.
“This bill is a signal to the Government that this is an essential step to saving koalas from extinction and is as simple as an amendment to the Forestry Act. We could save money, protect jobs and stimulate the economy while also taking immediate action to slow the extinction crisis in NSW”.
NSW Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said
In 2020, the Koala Inquiry Chaired by Greens MP Cate Faehrmann found that the number one threat to koala populations is the loss and fragmentation of koala habitat.
Koalas will be extinct in the wild by 2050 in NSW unless we protect their habitat.
In 2023, public native forests continue to be bulldozed, leaving our koalas homeless and dying.
“The current trajectory for koalas sees our iconic animal extinct in NSW by 2050, which would be an international shame. The NSW Government could turn this around tomorrow by protecting critical habitat instead of green lighting its destruction.”
“This bill is a piece of the plan that NSW needs to end native forest logging. There must be an end in sight to this destructive industry, for the sake of our precious forests and the wildlife that call them home.”
Australian Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:
Some of our forests contain important and high quality koala habitat that need protecting from destruction and logging. There are Areas of Regional Koala Significance (ARKS) identified by scientists that are within our forests and this bill will protect them.
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“Koalas and other threatened species in NSW have been hammered by logging, mining and development, climate fires, and a fundamentally flawed offsets scheme, they need urgent protection now.”
Ms Hanson-Young said.
Forestry Amendment (Koala Habitats) Bill 2023 on NSW Parliament’s website
An Act to amend the Forestry Act 2012 to prohibit forestry operations from being carried out in koala habitats.
Amendment of Forestry Act 2012 No 96
Section 69O
Insert after section 69NA—
69O Prohibition of forestry operations in koala habitats
(1) It is a requirement of an integrated forestry operations approval that forestry operations are not carried out in—
(a) an area of regional koala significance, or
(b) an area declared by the Minister, by order published in the Gazette, as koala habitat.
(2) The Minister must declare an area as koala habitat under subsection
(1)(b) if the Minister receives an assessment by a suitably qualified person that the area is koala habitat.
(3) As soon as practicable after receiving an assessment under subsection
(2), the Minister must arrange for the assessment to be tabled in each House of Parliament.
(4) In this section—
area of regional koala significance means the area of regional koala significance identified in the Koala Prioritisation Project—Areas of Regional Koala Significance Dataset as in force on 1 November 2022 and published on the SEED Map on the NSW Government website for Sharing and Enabling Environmental Data in NSW.
suitably qualified person means a person who, in the Minister’s opinion, has—
(a) a tertiary qualification in ecology, environmental management or forestry or other equivalent qualification, and
(b) experience in flora and fauna identification, survey and management, including experience in conducting koala surveys.
°°°
The object of this Bill is to prohibit forestry operations from being carried out in koala habitats.
Outline of provisions
Clause 1 sets out the name, also called the short title, of the proposed Act.
Clause 2 provides for the commencement of the proposed Act on the date of assent to the proposed Act.
Clause 3 amends the Forestry Act 2012 to make it a requirement of an integrated forestry
operations approval that forestry operations are not carried out in koala habitats. The Forestry Act
2012, section 69SA makes it an offence for a person to contravene a requirement of an integrated
forestry operations approval.
With an overview of the bill now having been provided to members, debate on this bill will take place during a future sitting of the House
Forestry – an industry in transition
“The NSW Koala Strategy that is funded through to 2026 is costing more than $190 million in an attempt to double the koala population in NSW but the report by Frontier Economics shows that we could end public native forest logging for just $30 million per year over 10 years”.
“The native hardwood division of NSW Forestry Corporation costs the state as much as $20 million per year and should be rapidly transitioned to profitable and sustainable plantations. This move would mean upwards of a $1 billion going back into the economy from nature based tourism and community investment.”
“Protecting forestry workers from losing their jobs and communities that rely on the industry are a priority for us and the shortfall of harvestable native timber in NSW is already threatening them. The Government should intervene now to protect workers, communities and the environment through the inevitable transition to 100% sustainable plantations.”
“If the Government was serious about protecting koalas or any of our native animals threatened with extinction then they could introduce a bill to do so – just like I am doing today. It would save NSW money and save many of our forest dependent threatened species from extinction by taking a proactive approach to a looming crisis for industry and nature.” Ms Higginson said.
