Legislating for Better National Parks
The Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, is introducing legislation into NSW Parliament to impose new conditions on land acquisitions for National Parks to address growing community concerns in western NSW.
Mr Butler has notified NSW Parliament of his intention to introduce the National Parks and Wildlife Amendment (Land Boundaries and Acquisitions) Bill 2025. The Bill is a response to feedback from Mr Butlers’ survey of local views on National Parks.
Before any land can be acquired for a National Park, the Bill would require a report detailing the economic impact and the environmental goals of the purchase. Local councils would be given the right to nominate a person to help prepare the report.
“Recent conversions of working properties into National Parks in western NSW don’t appear to have considered the local economic impact,” said Mr Butler. “They’ve made promises about increased tourism that never seem to bear fruit.”
“It’s also often unclear exactly what is being protected by the new National Parks.
“In fact, my recent survey showed that just one in five people had seen environmental or economic benefits from local National Parks.
“My Bill would force consideration of the economic impacts and environmental goals of any proposed National Park purchase,” said Mr Butler. “Five years after any acquisition, the Minister would also have to report to Parliament whether those goals had been achieved.”
Mr Butler’s Bill would also require National Parks to pay rates to councils and share the costs of maintaining fences with neighbouring landholders.
“My Bill addresses many of the concerns that locals have raised with the acquisition of working stations and the ongoing management of National Parks,” said Mr Butler. “Resolving these concerns is a win for locals and it’s also good for National Parks.”