The NSW Government has lost control on private native forestry

11 November 2022, NSW – The NSW Government is hanging regional councils and koalas out to dry with their latest plan to remove the right of local government to be involved with approvals for private native forestry.

The koala wars that have defined the last 4 years of this coalition government are being refuelled under the noses of Liberal ministers and democratically elected councils by The Nationals.

The Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Private Native Forestry) Bill 2022 is just the latest iteration of the NSW Nationals attempting to subvert the ability of local governments to use their consent powers that can approve or refuse private native forestry.

The dual consent powers importantly give councils the ability to assess applications by private landholders to log their property and determine whether to approve or deny the logging operation.

The NSW government was brought to the edge of collapse in 2020 by a similar plan by then Deputy Premier John Barilaro when Liberal Member Catherine Cusack and Nationals Member Leslie Williams were forced to challenge their colleagues on a plan that would decimate koala habitat across the state.

Catherine Cusack crossed the floor against her own Government to refer similar legislation to a committee for review resulting in her demotion and eventual resignation from the Parliament and Leslie Williams, Member for Port Macquarie, was forced to leave The Nationals and apply for Liberal Party membership after she decided that the threats from John Barilaro to “blow up” the coalition was a bridge too far.

Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said:

“The survival of koalas and the sustainability of our native forests on private lands are being challenged once again.

“Without dual consent, local councils will be faced with no ability to control the integrity of their local environment, koala conservation efforts and escalating costs for damaged infrastructure.

“Private native forestry has the potential for damaging cumulative impacts and the destruction of koala habitat at scale.

“This latest attack on koala habitat has been cloaked by the Minister for Agriculture, Dugald Saunders as an agricultural opportunity for private land holders, but the truth couldn’t be further from this.

“Saunders is attempting to claim private native forest logging is farm forestry, but it is not. Farmed forestry is an intentional production of a timber forestry resource for the explicit purpose of harvesting it at a later date, you must plant it for the purposes of later harvest.

“What Saunders is actually advocating is the exploitation of our precious native forests, an irreplaceable natural resource, including koala habitat. Koalas will be extinct in the wild before 2050 unless we stop destroying their habitat now.

“The minister has blundered into the trap of assuming that The Nationals will be blindly followed on natural resource policy with the Liberals tripping along in their wake. To his detriment, there are many Liberals members who are genuinely concerned about the ongoing destruction of the environment and koala habitat.

“This legislation is set to be debated next week and the coalition government should be prepared for an internally driven hurricane of dissension as moderate liberals revolt against the shortsighted and destructive ideas of the NSW Nationals.

“Premier Dominic Perrottet should read the writing on the wall and recognise that his Government is walking on a precipice on the verge of the 2023 election, that people want the environment and koalas protected and that refuelling the koala wars may well be a deadly move for koalas and his Government”.

Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson

Forestry Amendment (Koala Habitats) Bill 2022

Greens introduce Bill to prohibit forestry operations in koala habitat – saying it’s time

The NSW Greens introduced notice of a bill in the Legislative Council that would prohibit forestry operations in areas that have been identified as koala habitat in a signal to the Government and Opposition that the unprofitable destruction of state forests and protecting koalas and their habitat is an election priority.

The Forestry Amendment (Koala Habitats) Bill 2022 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.

NSW Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said:

“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,

“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

Australian Greens Spokesperson for the Environment Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said:

“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.

“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 greenlighting its destruction.

“I will continue to push the Federal Government to back the Greens Save the Koala Bill which is currently before the senate. The bill would introduce a moratorium on land clearing of critical habitat and give real protection to the places our wildlife call home.

“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.

Politics Wins Over Koalas: Great Koala National Park Bill Defeated

8 June 2022, NSW – Politics has once again won out over the future of koalas in NSW with the Government and Opposition voting against a Greens bill to establish a Great Koala National Park on the mid-north coast to protect koala habitat at threat from logging says Cate Faehrmann Greens MP and koala spokesperson

Outgoing Liberal MP Catherine Cusack while speaking in support of the bill revealed the deals done by the Liberal and National parties during the so-called Koala Wars last year.

Cate Faehrmann Greens MP and koala spokesperson said:

“This bill was a massive opportunity to begin making the gains in protecting koala habitat which are absolutely essential if we are to stop koalas becoming extinct before 2050. It’s incredibly disappointing that all government and opposition members, except Ms Cusack, voted against the bill,”

“Unfortunately Labor voted with the Government to stop the creation of the Great Koala National Park meaning the vote was lost 30 to 7. With Labor’s support tonight, this bill would have passed the Upper House.

“As a result of Ms Cusack, once again, crossing the floor to vote in support of koalas we had an opportunity to get some of the best protection for koalas in place that this state has ever seen. But it wasn’t to be.

“Catherine Cusack showed courage and integrity tonight and demonstrated that she will continue to use her position to do all she can to get better laws in place to protect koalas and their habitat. She has prioritised saving koalas from extinction over the self-interest of the Liberal Party and I commend her for that,”

said Ms Faehrmann.

The National Parks and Wildlife Amendment (Great Koala National Park) Bill 2021 would have:

• Gazetted 175,000 hectares of state forests, adding them to existing protected areas to form a 315,000 hectare protected area on the Mid North Coast, protecting an area that is home to around 20 per cent of the NSW koala population
• Required the government to develop an economic, conservation and tourism plan for the ‘Great Koala National Park; and
• Required the government to develop a transition plan, including a structural adjustment package, for forestry workers

A University of Newcastle report found the Great Koala National Park would generate $412 million in visitor expenditure and create 9,810 full-time-equivalent jobs.

State Government weakening environment protections by sidelining councils

Local Government NSW has slammed the State Government’s latest attempts to strip councils of the ability to regulate private logging.

In a repeat of the infamous “Koala Wars” of 2020, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Private Native Forestry) Bill 2022 attempts to weaken a series of environmental protections around private forestry operations.

Those protections include the removal of councils as a consent authority for private logging activity.

The Bill would also extend the lifespan of forestry approvals from 15 to 30 years, which risks establishing legacy native forestry approvals stretching to 2052 and beyond.

LGNSW President Darriea Turley said that, despite the Bill’s damaging implications, it had been rushed into parliament without any consultation with local government.

“This Bill undermines the crucial role councils play in the regulation of private forestry operations,”

“It will have devastating impacts on important native habitats, particularly for koalas and many of the state’s other threatened species.

“In addition, it removes the ability of councils to consider the broader impacts of forestry operations on their communities, such as noise, traffic, amenity and infrastructure impacts.

“This also includes the impact private logging has on a road network that is on the verge of collapse after devastating floods this year.

“Councils need to know where forestry is being approved in relation to other planning approvals to ensure impacts on the community are minimised.

“It’s ridiculous to suggest forestry operations should have fewer safeguards to protect native vegetation and the community than any other kind of industry on the same land.”

LGNSW President Darriea Turley said

LGNSW has now written to NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and Opposition Leader Chris Minns calling on both leaders to prevent its passage through Parliament.

LGNSW President Darriea Turley said:

“Has this government not learnt anything from the disastrous Koala Wars that almost ripped the Coalition apart?”

“This Bill shows a blatant disregard for the essential voice of democratically elected councils and the communities they represent, all to appease a small handful of vested interest groups.

“I call on all State MPs to oppose this Bill and ensure councils continue to have appropriate oversight over forestry activities to not only safeguard their communities but also native habitats.”

LGNSW President Darriea Turley said