Forestry Act: Revocation of Dedications

The Hon. R. J. WEBSTER (Minister for Planning, and Minister for Housing) [2.41]: I move:

(1) That, pursuant and subject to the provisions of the Forestry Act 1916, this House agrees to the revocation of the dedication of those part areas of State Forests indicated on the Schedule hereunder.

State Forest	No.	Parishes	Counties	Area (ha)	Portion	Purpose
Bemboka	1007	Bronte, Mookerwah, Numbugga, Ooranook, Puen Buen, Werri Berri	Auckland	13,745	Part	Addition to National Park
Bondi	128	Bondi, Genoa, Nalbaugh Gulgin	Auckland Wellesley	5,550	Parts (3)	Addition to National Park & Nature Reserve
Cathcart	607	Kanoonah, Yuglamah	Auckland	2,160	Part	Addition to National Park
Coolangubra	547	Coolangubra, Kanoonah, Mataganah	Auckland	8,455	Parts (2)	Addition to National Park
Glenbog	149	Bredbendoura, Colombo, Mogila, Tantawangalo, Werri Berri	Auckland	2,200	Parts (3)	Addition to National Park
Mumbulla	605	Mumbulla Wapengo	Auckland Dampier	1,400	Part	Addition to National Park
Nalbaugh	129	Nalbaugh	Auckland	224	Part	Addition to National Park
Nullica	545	Bimmil, Boyd, Eden, Imlay	Auckland	4,355	Part	Addition to National Park
Tantawangalo	134	Bredbendoura, Mogila Creewah	Auckland Wellesley	3,655	Part	Addition to National Park
Nangar	686	Goimbla, Mogong	Ashburnham	5,134	Whole	Addition to Nangar National Park
Page 5836 Capertee	876	Coco	Roxburgh	2,733	Whole	Part of proposed Gardens of Stone National Park
Wolgan	454	Wolgan	Cook	400	Part	Part of proposed Gardens of Stone National Park
Newnes	748	Cook, Wolgan	Cook	2,700	Part	Part of proposed Gardens of Stone National Park
Ben Bullen	434	Ben Bullen	Roxburgh	600	Part	Part of proposed Gardens of Stone National Park
Conjola	863	Conjola, Cudmirrah	St Vincent	315	Part	Part of proposed Cudmirrah National Park
Dampier	926	Coondella, Wamban	Dampier	740	Part	Addition to Deua National Park

(2) That the foregoing Resolution be communicated by Address to His Excellency the Governor.

The procedure under which State forests, or parts of State forests, may be revoked is set out in section 19 of the Forestry Act. The section provides for the revocation by His Excellency the Governor, but it is first necessary that a resolution be passed by both Houses of Parliament that a revocation be effected. In summary, the State forest dedications proposed to be revoked comprise two State forests and parts of 14 other State forests. This proposal implements the additions to the national park and reserve system that were part of the south-east forests agreement between the Commonwealth and New South Wales governments. The revocations will also enable the Government to give effect to its longstanding commitment to create the Cudmirrah National Park and Gardens of Stone National Park and to make additions to Nangar and Deua national parks.

The Commonwealth and New South Wales governments agreed in July 1989 to set up a joint scientific committee to conduct biological surveys of the south-east forests and to make recommendations about the adequacy of the reserve system in that region. Following extensive studies the committee delivered its report in July 1990, which provided a number of options for expanding the existing reserve system to better preserve the region's biological diversity. Subsequent negotiations between the two governments led to an agreement that balanced both conservation and socioeconomic needs. Details of the broad agreement were announced in October 1990, and the final south-east forests agreement was signed on 21 December 1993. The agreement referred to "both nature conservation and access to forest resources to maintain and enhance regional development opportunities".

Together with the commitment to expand the reserve system, the two governments made a firm commitment that other forests would "remain available for other commercial and non-commercial uses, including wood production". In the south-east, six new national parks and a nature reserve with a total of 62,000 hectares will be created by revoking approximately 47,000 hectares of State forests and adding them to 3,000 hectares of vacant Crown land and 12,000 hectares of existing national parks and nature reserves. These dedications are based on sound and lengthy scientific work undertaken by the joint scientific committee on the adequacy of regional conservation reserves.

The new national parks and reserves are Bemboka National Park, the Biamanga National Park, Coolangubra National Park, Genoa National Park, Tantawangalo National Park, Yowaka National Park, and Bondi Gulf Nature Reserve. Since the announcement by the Minister for the Environment of the Government's intention to create Cudmirrah National Park and the Gardens of Stone National Park and to make additions to Nangar and Deua national parks, the National Parks and Wildlife Service has undertaken lengthy and detailed consultations with other government agencies in finalising the boundaries of these reserves. This action will not have any significantly adverse effect on local timber industries.

The whole of Nangar State Forest, totalling 5,134 hectares, will be revoked and added to the Nangar National Park. This area near Eugowra in the central west is a significant area of box-ironbark forest, which is poorly represented in conservation reserves. Its incorporation more than doubles the size of the existing national park. Parts of the Wolgan, Capertee, Ben Bullen and Newnes State forests, with a total area of 6,433 hectares, will be revoked and added to adjoining Crown lands to form the Gardens of Stone National Park, which will have an area of 11,780 hectares. The area has spectacular scenery associated with the cliffs and unique rock formations of the so-called pagoda country and provides outstanding opportunities for bushwalking and rock climbing. However, much of the finest scenery can
Page 5837
be seen from roads that touch the boundaries of the proposed national park. The area contains poorly conserved natural vegetation communities, such as the box and ironbark forests, and provides habitat for the endangered regent honeyeater.

The national park proposal has been assessed by the Department of Mineral Resources and will have no impact on the coal mining industry. On the south coast 315 hectares of the Conjola State Forest, near Sussex Inlet, will be revoked and reserved as part of the new Cudmirrah National Park, with a total area of 2,200 hectares. The park will protect outstanding coastal landscapes, including beaches, headlands and estuaries. Special features include the extensive foreshores on Swan Lake and the forests of the Cudmirrah high dunes. The last area listed on the schedule is a 740-hectare part of the Dampier State Forest. The addition of this area to the Deua National Park will fulfil the Government's undertaking to protect the Deua Wilderness Area. It includes the upper reaches of Diamond Creek, which contain attractive tall eucalypt forest. Its inclusion in the Deua National Park will ensure the protection of the entire Burra Creek catchment, a large undisturbed stream catchment. I commend the motion to the House.

The Hon. JAN BURNSWOODS [2.47]: I move:

That this debate be now adjourned to the next sitting day.

Question put.

The House divided.

Dr Burgmann Mr Manson
Ms Burnswoods Mr O'Grady
Mr Dyer Mr Shaw
Mr Egan Mrs Symonds
Mr Enderbury Mr Vaughan
Mrs Isaksen Mrs Walker
Mr Johnson Tellers,
Mrs Kite Mrs Arena
Mr Macdonald Mr Obeid

Mr Bull Mrs Nile
Mrs Chadwick Rev. Nile
Mrs Evans Dr Pezzutti
Mrs Forsythe Mr Pickering
Mr Gay Mr Samios
Dr Goldsmith Mrs Sham-Ho
Mr Hannaford Mr Rowland Smith
Mr Jobling Mr Webster
Mr Jones
Miss Kirkby Tellers,
Mr Moppett Miss Gardiner
Mr Mutch Mr Ryan

Mr Kaldis Mr Coleman

Resolved in the negative.

The Hon. JAN BURNSWOODS: The motion before the House today is familiar; it reminds me mostly of the Premier's famous attempt just before Christmas last year to give - I believe his words were - "our grandchildren a Christmas present". The Premier carried on about declaring many wilderness areas in New South Wales in a hoax to gain some pre-Christmas publicity and win some greenie votes. That effort has since been absolutely destroyed by the National Party and other - I will not call them rednecks - troglodytes in the Government's ranks. It appears that the Premier has learned nothing. It is almost December 1994 and the Government has decided to have another go at winning environmentalist support. This time the proposal involves revoking the dedication of parts of State forests for the purpose of adding the revocations to national parks.

Clearly, the Opposition has no objection to the transfer of most of those areas from State forests to national parks. However, the way they are spread around the map of New South Wales makes it hard to describe them as viable national parks, or parts thereof. The map looks like a Swiss cheese or a colander when they are drawn on the map. One area involves 200 hectares, another 300 hectares, and another 400 hectares. They represent a series of unimpressive additions to the national parks, and they will not fool anyone in the community. This motion represents another desperate attempt by this tired, seven-year-old Government to win votes from people strongly committed to the environmental cause.

It is proposed to revoke part of a State forest so it can be added to the Cudmirrah National Park, which is in the south of the State. Two months ago the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, and Minister for Mines wrote to the Minister for the Environment saying that he thought sand mining was all right within parts of the proposed Cudmirrah National Park. That letter, from one Minister to another, makes clear the Government's lack of commitment to the environment and to national parks, as any reasonable person understands them. As usual, the poor Minister for the Environment is left without a feather to fly with and the Government is put in the position of agreeing to sand mining in national parks if that is what the National Party wants. The south-east forest area in general is an example of a Swiss cheese-type of national park. The revocations set out in the revocation schedule will not conserve the south-east forest. The Government's proposal picks out little sections here and there. It has taken this Government four years to achieve virtually nothing.

The Hon. R. J. Webster: You are an ungenerous person.

The Hon. JAN BURNSWOODS: Indeed, I am ungenerous. The Minister may interject, but having participated in the debate on wilderness areas almost a year ago, I am sure he is aware that many Opposition members and people in the community find the debate familiar. When 25 March comes around I think the Minister will find that the
Page 5838
community will be very ungenerous to this poor, tired, fading and failing Fahey Government. I shall not take up more of the time of the House on this matter - frankly, it is not worth it. In conclusion, I remind the House that the Labor Party supports a national park in the south-east forest area comprising 90,000 hectares. The Opposition does not believe that the pathetic bits and pieces of State forests offered by the Government will do anything to conserve the precious south-east forests.

The Hon. R. S. L. JONES [3.00]: On behalf of the Australian Democrats I give the motion my qualified support for it is only a very small step towards the protection of all old growth and other high conservation value forests in New South Wales. The motion is the Government's response to the National Parks and Wildlife (New Areas and Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 1993, the 1992 national forest policy statement, the securing of threatened wilderness areas identified by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as warranting protection, the Colong Foundation's Gardens of Stone national park proposal; and it also implements the Greiner-Hawke 1990 south-east forests agreement.

With regard to the new areas bill, only two of the 10 or so State forest areas identified in the bill are to be revoked: the Nangar and Conjola State forests. As for the Conjola State Forest, the Government proposes to declare a national park of 2,000 hectares out of the 7,200 hectares identified in the bill, protecting only the foreshores of Smiths Lake. Nangar, the other forest lifted from the bill, is situated in the central west of New South Wales. Being devoid of significant timber stands, that forest typifies most of those that are the subject of this motion. The Government appears to be completely unable to create a "comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system to protect old-growth forest and wilderness values" as required by the national forest policy statement signed by Premier Fahey in 1992.

Except in the case of the 740 hectares of the Dampier State Forest, and perhaps some very small parts of the forests being revoked in the south-east of New South Wales, none of the areas are biologically rich and productive. Priority has been given to setting aside forest devoid of economic resources, areas which, in the majority of cases, are also devoid of arboreal mammals. The National Parks and Wildlife Service reserve system requires substantial tracts of productive, biologically rich native forest to be set aside from logging if our forest wildlife is to be adequately protected. But of all the threatened wilderness areas in New South Wales, only Diamond Creek will be protected by this motion. That creek is just a small part of the threatened Deua wilderness. Last September the Government chose to declare a Deua wilderness in two parts, leaving out its central core - the Deua River valley - even though the valley is within the existing national park. The tiny Diamond Creek extension proposed for the Deua National Park is the Fahey Government's sole contribution to protecting threatened wilderness areas within State forests.

The threatened headwaters of the Deua River in the Dampier State Forest are excluded from this motion. In total, about 9,700 hectares of State forest identified by the National Parks and Wildlife Service as warranting protection under the Wilderness Act will remain unprotected by the motion and will continue to be logged - and destroyed. It is a pity that the Government cannot protect these important and threatened old-growth forests. Ben Halls Gap State Forest, which is listed on the register of the National Estate and by the National Trust, New South Wales, and which is the subject of a longstanding park proposal, will not be revoked. Ben Halls Gap has tall undisturbed old-growth forest stands of messmate and mountain gum, which are poorly represented in the National Parks and Wildlife estate, and is a key area which should be set aside from logging.

As for the south-east forests the Government, after four years, will put the 1990 Hawke-Greiner agreement into effect and will try to pass it off as a balanced decision. These forest areas were described by the environment Minister of the day, Mr Tim Moore, as a spaghetti park because the proposal linked existing national parks with thin strips of steep escarpment lands and unproductive forest types which could not be logged. The revocation of the Capertee and part of the Wolgan, Newnes and Ben Bullen State forests is the most welcome element of this motion. The revocation of these State forests opens the way for the dedication of a Gardens of Stone national park - a national park that the Labor Party is apparently unable to support, even though it was one of Labor's 29 national park proposals announced in the run-up to the last State election.

The Gardens of Stone lie in one of the most spectacular areas of New South Wales. The area is considered by the National Herbarium as warranting inscription on the World Heritage List. It contains sandstone karst formations that some describe as pagodas because the formations resemble the tiered Buddhist temple buildings. The area also contains the headwaters of Coco Creek and preserves the remaining forest blanket that covers the upper parts of the Capertee valley. The proposed park will link Pantoneys Crown Nature Reserve with the Wollemi National Park and protect the Woolpack Rocks that separate the Capertee and Wolgan valleys.

Although the revocation of 6,433 hectares of State forest to make the Gardens of Stone National Park is welcome, it is marred by the Government's apparent inability to proclaim the Airly mesa as a national park. This area has been set aside for coalmining, and the unprotected internal cliffs and pagoda formations will be subject to cliff collapse and scarring by surface cracks. It is ludicrous that the most dramatic sandstone country in New South Wales, only three hours' travel from Sydney, must be sacrificed to the coal industry. I support the motion with these reservations. The Democrats will continue to monitor the progression of moves by conservationists to protect all the old-growth forests of New South Wales as quickly as possible.

Page 5839

Reverend the Hon. F. J. NILE [3.05]: Call to Australia is pleased to support the motion and the revocation schedule published on page 942 of the notice paper. Sixteen important State forest areas will become part of national parks - either as additions to existing national parks or as parts of proposed national parks. I am pleased that 4,355 hectares will be added to the national park in the Boyd and Eden parishes: that should have widespread support as, indeed, should the additional land in the Coco, Wolgan, Cook and Ben Bullen parishes, including 2,733 hectares in the county of Roxburgh and 2,700 in the county of Cook which will be added to the proposed Gardens of Stone national park. We are pleased that, following the Government's decision and the passage of the motion by the House, these areas will be added to national parks upon the resolution being forwarded to His Excellency the Governor for assent. We are pleased to support the measure.

The Hon. R. J. WEBSTER (Minister for Planning, and Minister for Housing) [3.07], in reply: I thank honourable members for their comments. It was unfortunate that the Hon. Jan Burnswoods, speaking for the Australian Labor Party, was as usual somewhat ungracious in her comments. She knows full well that many of the matters under consideration are part of the south-east forests agreement between the Federal Labor Government and the Liberal Party-National Party Government of New South Wales. In her speech she chose to continue with her rather negative approach to life. I thank Reverend the Hon. F. J. Nile and the Hon. R. S. L. Jones for their comments. Though the Hon. R. S. L. Jones may have hoped for more, he was at least decent enough to recognise the gigantic leaps forward taken here as a result of the forests agreement. I commend the motion to the House.

Motion agreed to.