The debate over the future of Australia’s amazing national parks is intensifying.
In various states and to various extents, there have been recent moves to allow logging, grazing, shooting, fossicking, and commercial development in national parks.
Environment Minister Tony Burke has consistently expressed his concerns over the mooted changes, and has only just been forced to back down again on renewed attempts to extend federal powers over the parks. Cabinet reportedly failed to back Mr Burke after mining and gas lobby groups said his initiatives would restrict coal seam gas projects near national park boundaries.
Back in 2011, Mr Burke released draft regulations that would have put most parks under national – rather than state – authority and given the Commonwealth the ability to stop mining, logging, grazing and land clearing projects in them. However, these draft regulations have not progressed and are said to be ‘’still under consideration’’.
The latest attempt to expand federal national parks powers follows a spate of controversial proposals.
• Queensland has moved to allow cattle grazing during drought times in five national parks and eight state parks. The state has also launched a review of all protected areas created after 2002 for potential logging.
• In NSW, a cattle grazing trial has been launched in the Millewa National Park. The government also wants recreational shooters to be allowed into national parks.
• In Victoria, the Napthine government is considering letting fossickers and gold hunters into some national parks. The Premier is also encouraging tourism investment in national parks with developers being offered leases of up to 99 years.
A 17-strong group of high-profile Australian academics including Associate professor Emma Johnston from the University of New South Wales have put their names to a letter expressing their growing alarm.
“Parks are for the benefit of people who wish to relax in and be inspired by the bush, stretch their legs, listen to the birds, engage in non-destructive recreational pursuits and smell fresh air,” they said.
Bruce Gall, a former director of the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service, and a member of the World Commission on Protected Areas, went further.
“National parks are part of our social fabric – they help define our values, say who we are,” he said. “They should not be logged, grazed, mined, shot up or littered with crass developments.”
