2026-10-23
The Great Koala National Park legislation has passed the NSW Parliament, securing one of the most significant conservation victories in the history of NSW, with the Greens successfully strengthening the legislation to deliver a bigger and better protected park.
The park will bring more than 178,000 hectares of public forest into the national park estate, creating a protected landscape of more than 475,000 hectares that is home to an estimated 12,000 koalas and more than 100 threatened species.
The Greens secured ten amendments in the Legislative Assembly to expand Bongil Bongil National Park, create a new nature reserve at Orara East State Forest, prevent the leasing of retained native state forests, restrict motor racing in five regional parks and strengthen ministerial accountability.
Greens MP and environment spokesperson Sue Higginson said:
"This is an extraordinary achievement and a historic victory for our precious native forests, our threatened species and the communities that have fought for more than a decade to see this park become a reality,”
"The Great Koala National Park is now bigger and better protected because of the work of the Greens, the conservation movement and the communities who kept advocating for stronger protection right up until the passage of this legislation,”
"While today is a day for celebration, the passage of this legislation has taken far too long. The Government allowed logging to continue inside the proposed park for more than three years after it was elected, while the very forests that were meant to be protected were being destroyed. We cannot undo that damage, and there is no justification for it having been allowed to happen,”
"There is also unfinished business with the Forest Bridge proposal that would protect critical habitat in Pine Creek and Tuckers Nob State Forests, strengthening the connection between Bongil Bongil National Park and the forests of the escarpment. We fought to have these forests included and will continue to work with the community to secure their protection,”
"The creation of the Great Koala National Park must now be followed by a commitment to protect the Richmond River koala stronghold through the Richmond River Koala Parks and North East Forest proposals, as well as the Great Southern Forest proposal,”
"Today we celebrate the Great Koala National Park and the people who made it possible. Tomorrow we continue the work of protecting the rest of our public native forests," Ms Higginson said.