Queensland's national parks under-funded

BY BILL MASON

BRISBANE -- Queensland's national parks could take up to a decade to recover from years of under-funding and the state government should triple funding to the national standard, a report for the Local Government Association (LGA) states. Environmentalists are increasing the pressure on the state Labor government to allocate extra money in the upcoming state budget.

The report, carried out by University of Queensland professor Bob Beeton, found severe deficiencies in national park resources. The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service is so cash-strapped it is unable to protect its reserves or maintain infrastructure, let alone cater for visitors.

The LGA also called on the government to embrace private sponsorship, user charges and carbon trades to save the struggling reserve system. But Wilderness Society spokesperson Lyndon Schneiders commented on May 14 that private enterprise should not be seen as a panacea for the parks' budgetary woes. The priority should be to boost government funding, Schneiders said.

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