Australian Rural & Regional News asked some questions of the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, responded to briefly and in part below.
The Hon. Andrew Powell, Minister for the Environment and Tourism, Media Release, 3 December 2025
Negotiations to create a new western Queensland national park on Vergemont Station have been finalised, marking a major milestone in the Crisafulli Government’s plan to expand Queensland’s protected areas.
The proposed 300,000-hectare national park will safeguard unique habitats, rare and threatened species, and significant Indigenous cultural heritage while boosting visitation and economic opportunities in western Queensland.
Vergemont Station is home to rare vegetation communities, as well as large areas of the headwaters of the Lake Eyre Basin in Queensland.
The historic deal will secure habitat for rare and threatened species such as the critically endangered night parrot, the near threatened Opalton grasswren and the vulnerable purple-necked rock wallaby.
The proposed new national park will form part of a 1.5 million-hectare protected area corridor, linking Astrebla Downs National Park, Diamantina National Park, Mount Windsor Nature Refuge, Pullen Pullen Special Wildlife Reserve and Goneaway National Park.
Minister for the Environment and Tourism Andrew Powell said the Crisafulli Government was committed to delivering more for Queensland’s environment and regional communities.
“This agreement is part of our commitment to add 1.8 million hectares to the state’s protected areas by 2028,” Minister Powell said.
“We’re protecting the places that make Queensland special while creating jobs and opportunities in the communities that call them home.”
“The proposed new national park will safeguard the significant ecological values of the unique landscape.”
The Nature Conservancy’s Senior Advisor, Global Protection Strategies, Dr James Fitzsimons said the Vergemont landscape was nationally significant, and it will be protected forever.
“This outcome highlights the power of leveraged gifts, enabling philanthropists and governments alike to achieve outcomes far beyond what is possible alone,” Dr Fitzsimons said.
“This model will be essential if Australia is to achieve its target of protecting 30 per cent of its lands by 2030.”
The Queensland Government purchased Vergemont Station in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, which brokered Australia’s largest ever philanthropic donation for the purchase of land for conservation.
Questions and answers
Australian Rural & Regional News asked some questions of the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, answered briefly and in part only by a departmental spokesperson. ARR.News then sought further details. These will be added here if provided. No information was specifically sought or provided about the ongoing opal mining that will continue on the former Vergemont Station, as reported by the ABC (4 December 2025).
ARR.News:
- Can you provide details about the measures that will be taken ensure the control of pest, weeds and feral animals on the land, and to minimise the fire risk?
- How much of this 300,000 hectares was previously productive agricultural land?
- What jobs and how many will be created as result of this conversion to national park?
- What impact does this conversion to national park have on the greenhouse gas accounts for Queensland?
- Will these GHG figures differ depending upon whether the land is actively maintained (and if so how) or left alone? Details as to the difference in GHG accounting depending upon the nature of maintenance would be welcome.
DETSI spokesperson: New rangers have been employed to manage Vergemont Station and the region’s other protected areas. This includes weed and feral animal control, and bushfire mitigation.
In addition to the employment of new rangers, the creation of a new national park in western Queensland will help attract tourists to the region and boost the local economy.
