The Great Koala National Park Will Be Established and Logging Halted Immediately

 

The NSW Government has announced that the long-awaited Great Koala National Park in NSW will be created, with the proposed boundary outlined and logging within the area halted immediately.

The Great Koala National Park sits in the Mid-North Coast of the state and will see 176,000 hectares of state forest, existing national parks such as Guy Fawkes River, Dorrigo, and New England, as well as significant unprotected areas included in the boundary to create the 476,000-hectare park.

This will make the Great Koala National Park one of the largest reserves in NSW and will protect 12,000 koalas, which are listed as ‘Endangered’ in NSW. 

‘Koalas are at risk of extinction in the wild in NSW – that’s unthinkable. The Great Koala National Park is about turning that around’, said Premier of NSW, Chris Minns. 

The park will also protect habitat for over 100 more threatened species, including 36,000 Greater gliders, which are also listed as ‘Endangered’.

‘These amazing old-growth forests are among the world’s top biodiversity hotspots – home to more than 100 threatened species, including Greater gliders, the Powerful owl, and Yellow-bellied gliders’, said NSW Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe.

A Hard-Fought Battle for Conservationists

The announcement is welcome news for conservationists, local and nationwide, who have long advocated for the park’s establishment to protect koalas in NSW from logging and habitat destruction.

‘Today is a major step forward for conservation of forests in the Mid-North Coast’, said Doro Babeck from the Bob Brown Foundation. ‘It’s the persistence and courage of communities and people that made this possible. For years, they have stood between the bulldozers and the trees, demanding action where governments delayed.’

Read more: This Forest Near Bellingen’s Promised Land is Being Logged

However, major environmental organisations want to see native-forest logging ended across the entire state, as was done in Victoria in 2023, as well as stronger nature laws on a federal level.

Nature campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation, Darcie Carruthers, has said that current assessments of proposed logging areas are failing and environmental laws are not being properly enforced.

‘In its revision of Australia’s national nature law, the Albanese government must set clear rules to protect habitat for threatened species like the koala, close loopholes that enable rogue bulldozers and establish an independent watchdog to enforce the law’, Carruthers said.

An Immediate Moratorium on Logging

The announcement of the park’s establishment includes an immediate halt to logging within the park’s proposed boundary from Monday 8th of September, which is expected to affect around 300 people’s jobs.

In an effort to assist workers in transitioning to new roles, the NSW Government has announced a JobKeeper-style payment to cover salaries and offer financial assistance to businesses for operating costs.

‘We’ve listened carefully and we’re making sure workers, businesses and communities are supported every step of the way’, Premier Minns said.

Workers are also able to immediately and freely access mental health, financial, and legal counselling services, as well as training support.

‘I am committed to ensuring that our forest workers and small business forest operators are supported economically and emotionally through this change’, said Minister for the North Coast and Small Business, Janelle Saffin.

According to the Forestry Corporation’s 2024 report, the hardwood sector of the industry, which is responsible for native forest logging, was working at around a $29 million annual loss.

The government has also committed $6 million to supporting new tourism and small business ventures on the Mid-North Coast to grow jobs and investment in the area as the new park is established.

The park’s final hurdle is the successful registration of a carbon project under the Improved Native Forest Management Method, which is currently being assessed by the federal government. The Great Koala National Park is then expected to be gazetted in 2026.

Feature photo by Steve Franklin on Unsplash