This article relates to the ongoing debate on Australian Rural & Regional News: Open for Debate: Koalas.
The NSW Government has called for community input on recreational opportunities in the proposed Great Koala National Park. Regular ARR.News commentator on koala issues, Vic Jurskis, responds and has some questions for the Environment Minister.
Great Koala National Park a step closer with community invited to have a say on recreational opportunities: Whan, Kamper, Saffin
The Hon. Steve Whan, Acting Minister for the Environment (NSW); The Hon. Steve Kamper, Minister for Jobs and Tourism (NSW); The Hon. Janelle Saffin, Minister for the North Coast, Joint Media Release, 16 January 2026
The NSW Government is seeking community input to shape recreational opportunities in the proposed Great Koala National Park on the NSW Mid North Coast.
The Minns Labor Government is delivering on an election promise to create a Great Koala National Park, which will provide habitat for more than 100 threatened species, including more than 12,000 koalas and 36,000 greater gliders.
In addition to boosting conservation, the park will also create opportunities for better visitor experiences and recreation, boosting tourism and local economies.
An online survey is now open on the NSW Have Your Say website to seek feedback on current use of the State forests and reserves within the planned area of the park. We also want to hear from people who haven’t been to the region but might like to in the future.
The survey complements ongoing wider consultation with community groups who have so far provided more than 300 responses on what matters most to them when they visit these areas.
Input from 4WD clubs, mountain biking clubs, hiking/bushwalking and trail runners’ clubs, horse riding and trail riding clubs, archery and gun clubs, sporting car clubs, local government, environment groups and Aboriginal communities is already feeding into the planning for future management.
The overarching park will comprise individual reserves, which will enable a range of different recreational activities. While legislation determines what activities are permissible in each reserve category, we are looking to build the Great Koala National Park as a place where conservation is balanced with the community’s recreational needs.
The Have Your Say survey is open from 7am [16 January 2025] until Sunday, 1 March and is available online: www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au/great-koala-national-park.
Acting Minister for the Environment, Steve Whan said:
“The Great Koala National Park will protect more than 100 threatened species, but it’s not just about conservation. The park will be a recreational hotspot for locals and visitors alike.
“We want to hear from people who use and relax in the footprint of the forests and surrounding landscapes that make up the park.”
Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper said:
“We want the Great Koala National Park to be at the top of the must-see list for visitors to NSW and Australia.
“This major eco-tourism hub and unique NSW experience will attract domestic and international visitors all year round, which is a key component of our new Visitor Economy Strategy, while boosting local economies and creating jobs.”
Minister for the North Coast, Janelle Saffin said:
“The Great Koala National Park is an election commitment, and we want the community right at the centre of shaping what it becomes. Locals know this landscape best, and their ideas will help create a park people feel real ownership of and want to use.
“Done well, this park will also be a major tourism drawcard – supporting local businesses, creating jobs and delivering long-term economic benefits for communities right across the North Coast.”
The cynical politics around koalas
Vic Jurskis, 18 January 2026
Dear Editor,
In September 2025, Premier Minns announced the Lock Up of 176,000 hectares of productive multiple-use forest, with more than 12,000 koalas, to save this officially endangered species in a Great Koala Park. Experts had guesstimated that the NSW population was only 36,000 minus the thousands killed in Black Summer fires.
In October, the Environment Minister announced some results from surveys around Morton National Park which was “ravaged” during Black Summer: “the koala population not only survived the fires but are spreading right across the Morton–Bungonia landscape”.
In December, Minister Sharpe released a new estimate of 274,000 koalas based on effective field surveys. This is broadly compatible with CSIRO estimates of 484,000 for New South Wales and Queensland. But the details are not available for public scrutiny.
Koalas are not endangered anywhere. Officially, they’re not endangered in Victoria and South Australia. This was based on estimated numbers of 216,000 – lower than the current estimate for New South Wales. But the NSW Government claims that “Koalas in NSW remain endangered and there are many places in NSW where koalas no longer exist in the wild”. This false claim is their justification for killing hundreds of jobs in an environmentally sustainable industry.
Now there is a consultation process to ensure that some recreation activities, which were already available in the State Forests, can continue in the new Koala Park. Normally, you can’t even walk your dog in a National Park. The Acting Minister says he wants to balance conservation with recreation.
The Great Koala Park has nothing to do with conservation. It joins a list of extravagant gifts to the Greens at the expense of sustainable jobs and timber. Wran saved the Rainforests in 1982, Carr saved the Pilliga in 2005, Rees saved the Red Gum in 2009, the same day he was toppled by Keneally. Minns has joined the list of Labor premiers who sold out workers for green votes. Once again, increased tourism is supposed to save the local economies. Never has, never will.
I suggest you ask the Minister a few simple questions:
- Where do koalas no longer exist in NSW?
- What is the evidence that they existed there when Europeans arrived?
- What is the evidence that they are no longer there?
- Do you intend to re-introduce them?
Great work Vic.
I see three different sets of media promotion here, some of which is covered below (from three different sources).
“In addition to boosting conservation, the park will also create opportunities for better visitor experiences and recreation, boosting tourism and local economies”. “The park will be a recreational hotspot for locals and visitors alike”. “We want the Great Koala National Park to be at the top of the must-see list for visitors to NSW and Australia”. “This major eco-tourism hub and unique NSW experience will attract domestic and international visitors all year round, which is a key component of our new Visitor Economy Strategy, while boosting local economies and creating jobs.” “The Great Koala National Park is an election commitment, and we want the community right at the centre of shaping what it becomes”. “Done well, this park will also be a major tourism drawcard – supporting local businesses, creating jobs and delivering long-term economic benefits for communities right across the North Coast.”
I doubt much of this.
The loss of State Forest multiple use management will be a critical loss, I am sure many recreation groups will be aware of this.
There have been large employment losses across NSW from ongoing closures of the native timber industry, conservation property purchases in W NSW, 30×30 and carbon credit projects, and in most cases minimal tourism benefits.
Interesting about the Visitor Economy Strategy. But, where is the NSW Forestry Industry Action Plan.
I also note “The Minns Labor Government is delivering on an election promise to create a Great Koala National Park, which will provide habitat for more than 100 threatened species, including more than 12,000 koalas and 36,000 greater gliders”.
This again highlights that forestry management was working.
Thanks John,
yes, and why are greater gliders on the endangered list?