Great Koala National Park

Labor Government’s Environment Minister Penny Sharp’s tenuous grip on scientific truth has finally been broken. Now allowing real, scientific based research to reveal what political agendas have long suppressed in the fight over koala populations and sustainable forestry in NSW.    

The transcript of proceedings of the Independent Forestry Panel in teleconference with the Independent Koala Expert Panel on 1 November 2024 has been released. The Forestry Panel will oversee the destruction of sustainable forestry in NSW to 'save’ koalas.

Peter Rutherford. On the 24 November 1939, the Coffs Harbour Advocate reported, among other things, that “now there are only 200 known koalas in the whole of New South Wales, including those in captivity.” NSW Environment Minister Sharpe’s media release of 3 December 2024 stated, “that our grandchildren will never get the chance to see koalas in the wild”. I thought she may have been a little behind in reading her ministerial briefings. But then the penny dropped!

One hundred and fifteen sites within the Bellingen-Coffs Harbour LGAs were surveyed by the Canines for Wildlife detection dog team for koala scats between June 2020 and January 2024. Over 700 koala scat locations were recorded, and 155 samples were collected. The samples were processed to have the DNA extracted from koala epithelial cells attached to the external surface of the scat.

Nationals MPs are urging the Premier to immediately intervene and pause the assessment process for the Great Koala National Park, until claims of serious conflicts of interest are investigated. NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders, Shadow Minister for the North Coast Gurmesh Singh, Member for Clarence Richie Williamson, and Member for Oxley Michael Kemp made the calls in a letter sent to Chris Minns on Thursday.

The NSW Nationals have ... publicly announced their opposition to the Minns Labor Government’s Great Koala National Park, an election commitment to help save koalas from extinction ... “Mark Speakman urgently needs to come clean with the communities of New South Wales if the future of Koala’s will be on the line at the next election – or have the koala wars been reignited?”: Penny Sharpe.

Vic Jurskis. No matter what the cost of the Great Koala National Park it’s a scam and NSW’s Environment Minister has real numbers which prove it. Unfortunately, the numbers will no longer be politically dangerous once the Park has been legislated and the renewable timber industry has been destroyed to appease the Greens.

City of Coffs Harbour will be represented as the NSW Government moves toward the creation of a Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast ... The consultation process - as it works toward the park’s formation - includes establishment of three advisory panels (Aboriginal groups, community and industry) ... Coffs Harbour Council resolved to nominate Cr Jonathan Cassell to the Great Koala National Park Community Advisory Panel.  

The government’s own research on the north coast has confirmed that forestry does not affect koala numbers ... New data from field surveys of 1000 sites, trumpeted by the incoming Environment Minister and commenced a year ago, will not be released in time to stimulate or inform public submissions on the Koala Strategy ... The result is preordained.

"The decision regarding the proposed Great Koala National Park does not belong to a single voice but should involve many voices, mostly from the Mid North Coast. The Labor Government is attempting to blindfold us. Rather than using its chance to engage in authentic discussion with the community, it chooses to undermine us by including carefully curated elitists pretending to be our community representatives": Michael Kemp MP ... A good point that needs to be spelt out in more detail.