Great Koala National Park

Great Koala National Park
LocationNorth Coast of New South Wales, Australia
Area476,000 ha (1,840 sq mi)[1]
CreatedLate 2026
OwnerNSW Government
WebsiteCreating the Great Koala National Park – information and updates

The Great Koala National Park is a proposed national park in New South Wales, Australia which aims to create a sanctuary for koalas as they are an endangered native species.

On its proposed boundaries, the national park will be located on the North Coast of New South Wales passing through towns including Kempsey, Nambucca Heads, Coffs Harbour, Woolgoolga and Sawtell. This park will protect 176,000 hectares of state forests and merge existing reserves. The park will be inhabited by koalas and many other threatened species including greater gliders, glossy black cockatoos and many rare plants including species of spider orchid.[2]

The boundaries are due to be formalised in the government gazette in late-2026. The government is creating this national park in order to fulfil an election commitment made in 2023.

History

The original ideas leading to this proposal were formulated in 2010. Ecologists were alarmed by declining koala populations so they commissioned a survey. Former national parks officer Ashley Love has been credited by the government and conservation groups with developing early iterations of the proposal. When Luke Foley was shadow environment minister in 2014, he came across this proposal and was intrigued by it so he developed this policy when he subsequently became Labor leader in 2015. Foley was inspired by the giant panda reserves in China.[3]

In January 2015, Foley announced a plan to create a Great Koala National Park and hold a koala summit during that year's state election campaign.[4][5] They were not elected to government so the plan did not commence.

The plan was proposed again in 2019 during that year's state election campaign by the Labor Party under then leader Michael Daley, this plan did not progress as the party were not elected to government.[6]

The current iteration of the Great Koala National Park was proposed again by the New South Wales Labor Party during the 2023 state election campaign in addition to a koala summit that would formulate a strategy to revitalise the species.[7] The Labor Party was elected to government with Chris Minns as premier and Penny Sharpe as environment minister so planning for the new national park commenced.[8]

The decision to enact this proposal was accelerated due to Essential Energy phasing out the use of wood in its power pole infrastructure.[2]

Planning for the new national park was funded in the 2023 state budget with the state government investing $80 million to kick-start the project.[9] Logging in the proposed area has ceased from 8 September following the government's announcement of the park's proposed boundaries.[9] The state government is also considering leveraging the powers of the federal government to utilise their carbon credits scheme for this project.[9] Legislation will be required for the formalisation of its boundaries.[9]

Upon announcement of the park, $60 million was allocated to the project via the National Parks and Wildlife Service along with $6 million of funding for small businesses and the community in the state's north coast to prepare for the park, the NSW Government also announced a comprehensive support package for workers and the industry that is similar to JobKeeper during the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

In May 2026, Sharpe stated that the government planned to legislate the park's boundaries in late-2026. At this time, work was underway to expand the capacity of firefighting services near the park and Aboriginal cultural heritage rangers were being appointed.[11]

The carbon credit scheme for the national park was approved in June 2026.[12]

Outcomes

In addition to koalas, the areas slated for protection includes ancient Gondwana Rainforests, eucalyptus trees, greater gliders and glossy black cockatoos.[3]

It is estimated that about 12,000 koalas and 36,000 greater gliders will be protected when this area comes under conservation measures.[3] Aboriginal rangers will be employed throughout the national park to protect cultural heritage.[3]

Reactions

Criticism was levied at the government as they had committed to the idea yet continued to allow logging in the area that would be used for the national park between the time of the Labor Party's election to government and the announcement of the proposed boundaries.[13][14][15] A conservation group estimates that about 10,000 hectares of forest had been cut down during the time between the government was elected and announcement of the proposed boundaries.[3]

Former secretary of the federal department of the treasury and current chair of the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation Ken Henry stated that he thinks the timber industry is unsustainable, praising the jobs that this reserve creates and saying the plan to construct this plan is "credible".[16]

Victoria Jack of the Wilderness Society said that "conservation wins don't get much bigger than this".[2]

The timber industry has vehemently criticised the proposal while environmental groups have praised the idea.[17]

Minns has cited koalas nearing extinction as a reason to invest in this project.[9] The government expects this new park will generate an extra $163 million for the state's economy through tourism revenue.[9]

Some opposition MPs had reservations but supported the idea in principle, while former National Party leader Dugald Saunders outright rejected the proposal for its effects on the logging industry.[17]

The Australian Workers' Union (AWU) has been entirely opposed to the proposal in all its iterations.[3]

Organisations such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Outdoors NSW & ACT, the Nature Conservation Council, the North East Forest Alliance and the North Coast Environmental Council have also praised the proposal. The North East Forest Alliance said that the park would be "on par with [Neville] Wran's historic 1982 Rainforest Decision that protected 120,000 ha of forests in north-east NSW and ultimately led to the protection of all rainforests".[18][19][20][21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ McCaughan, Sophia; Chandler, Brooke (7 September 2025). "Proposed Great Koala National Park boundary stops mid north coast timber logging". ABC Mid North Coast. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025 – via ABC News.
  2. 1 2 3 Niermann, Till; Butler, Rhett Ayers (3 October 2025). "Australia to create a national park for 12,000 koalas". Mongabay. Australia. Archived from the original on 4 October 2025. Retrieved 8 October 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fitzsimmons, Caitlin; Barrett, Janie; Catley, Nicky; O'Malley, Nick; Lewis, Julie; Adele, Kathleen; and Scott, Nathanael (12 September 2025). "Inside the 15-year mission to create the Great Koala National Park". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ Gerathy, Sarah (17 March 2015). "NSW election 2015: Parks, koalas, renewables central to Labor's environment plan". ABC News. Archived from the original on 28 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  5. ↑ "Foley promises to protect koalas". 9news.com.au. AAP. 19 January 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  6. ↑ Cockburn, Paige (22 March 2019). "They can't talk and don't vote — but their fate will feature in the NSW election". ABC News. Archived from the original on 23 February 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2025. Labor would also create a national park for koalas in south-western Sydney and have committed to the Great Koala National Park on the North Coast, if elected.
  7. ↑ Parmeter, Nick (19 January 2023). "NSW Labor promises to create Great Koala National Park on Mid North Coast if elected". ABC Coffs Coast. Archived from the original on 19 April 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025 – via ABC News.
  8. ↑ Parmeter, Nick; Poole, Fiona; Rubbo, Luisa (1 April 2023). "Great Koala National Park to go ahead following Labor's NSW election win — here's what you need to know". ABC Coffs Coast. Archived from the original on 29 July 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025 – via ABC News.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cox, Lisa and Davies, Anne (7 September 2025). "NSW locks in great koala national park and brings in immediate ban on logging". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  10. ↑ The Premier; Minister for Agriculture; Minister for Environment and Heritage; Minister for the North Coast; Minister for Small Business (7 September 2025). "The Great Koala National Park" (Ministerial media release). NSW Government. Retrieved 9 September 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  11. ↑ "NSW Targets Late-2026 Bill to Lock-in 176,000ha Great Koala Park". Wood Central. 13 May 2026. Archived from the original on 17 May 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Cailin (26 June 2026). "'Declining sector': Carbon credits give states off-ramp for logging". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 June 2026.
  13. ↑ Hyland, Jesse (24 January 2025). "Calls for end to logging in NSW state forests assessed for the Great Koala National Park". ABC News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2025. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  14. ↑ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (10 November 2024). "'Best patch of habitat in the world' at risk as logging continues in Great Koala National Park area". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 September 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ Roe, Isobel (28 June 2023). "Concerns logging operations risking koala lives as NSW government urged to fast-track reserve". ABC News. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2025.
  16. ↑ Henry, Ken (8 September 2025). "My dad was a sawmiller; national parks make more money than logging". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  17. 1 2 Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (8 September 2025). "Three reasons Minns backed the full Great Koala National Park". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 8 September 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  18. ↑ "New National Park Could Help Save Koalas from Extinction". WWF-Australia. 7 September 2025. Archived from the original on 11 February 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  19. ↑ "'One of the most significant conservation victories in decades': NCC welcomes the Great Koala National Park" (Media release). Nature Conservation Council. 7 September 2025. Archived from the original on 18 February 2026.
  20. ↑ "Great Koala National Park: A Win for Conservation, Communities, and Outdoor Adventure". Outdoors NSW & ACT. 7 September 2025. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026. Retrieved 17 May 2026.
  21. ↑ Pugh, Dailan (7 September 2025). "Conservation Groups Welcome Great Koala National Park" (Media release). North East Forest Alliance. Archived from the original on 14 February 2026.

Further reading

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