Environment campaigners rallied outside NSW Parliament on June 25 to condemn Labor for further delaying the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) in its latest budget.
Activists from the Knitting Nannas and Bob Brown Foundation (BBF) highlighted that logging in native forests will also threaten already endangered wildlife including koalas, powerful owls, greater gliders and the spotted-tailed quoll.
Labor had promised the GKNP ahead of the 2023 election but, 825 days later, it has still not delivered.
In that time, more than 7185 hectares of the promised park, about 8.4% of the total area, has been logged — about 10,000 football fields.
The budget, which Treasurer Daniel Mookhey handed down on June 24, provides for no additional funding to the GKNP, effectively delaying the park for at least another year.
BBF activist Doro Babeck said: “This government has allocated $4.3 billion for climate disaster relief, which is important, but native forests retain soil, absorb and clean water, clean our air and draw down carbon to prevent future disasters.”
Knitting Nanna Bronwyn Voss called out the hypocrisy of Labor MPs who called for the GKNP but have not delivered. “People are completely fed up and not willing to take anymore.”
Heidi Yuko Lincoln, from BBF, pointed out that native forests in south east NSW are also being logged. “I visited Glenbog State Forest, one of the last remaining strongholds of greater glider habitat in the southeast,” she said. “The devastation and destruction in these forests is nothing short of shocking. It's like a bomb has gone off.
“They use horrible machines called harvesters which cut down trees in a matter of minutes … who knows what wildlife is in these trees when they are ripped down.
“I felt like I was walking on a forest graveyard, there must have been hundreds of animals buried beneath my feet.”
Lincoln pointed out that these are the last remaining habitats on Earth for most of these species.
She described the Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU) scheme as “green washing financial markets” designed to “monetise the carbon that is locked up in the trees”.
“It allows our biggest greenhouse gas polluters to emit more if they buy credits from logging practices under this scheme,” Lincoln said. “Any scheme that reduces the pressure on fossil fuel companies to phase out production or reduce their emissions is a disaster for climate, biodiversity and the people. It’s a scam!” The ACCU scheme would prolong native forest logging, she said.
Greens MLC Sue Higginson said “we have waited too long” for the GKNP. “As we speak Orara East State Forest — which surrounds Mount Coramba, a sacred place for the Gumbaynggir people — is falling. She said while the government promises a park “they … continued to destroy the heart and soul of the forests”.
“Gumbaynggir Elders wrote a letter to the Premier and the ministers today which said ‘enough is enough’ … These forests are vital for the health and wellbeing of the Gumbaynggir people, and for all of our health and wellbeing.”
The rally ended with the chant: “Minns says park, but signs off plunder; We won’t let these forests go under!”