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The Hon. MELINDA PAVEY [4.15 p.m.]: I raise an issue that is very important to the people of the Monaro electorate. Two weeks ago, on Wednesday 1 September, about 80 people gathered outside the front steps of Parliament House to demonstrate against the Carr Government's decision to reduce recreational access to Kosciuszko National Park. This demonstration was one of many that week. It followed the clubs demonstration and a demonstration by disability groups who are upset about cuts to funding. The difference between this demonstration and the others is that people came from far away in the southern region of this State, mainly from the Monaro region. They took a lot of time out of their normal activities to travel to Macquarie Street to demonstrate and raise their concerns about being locked out of Kosciuszko National Park, which they dearly love.
The Kosciuszko National Park draft plan of management, which was released in April, has sparked a great deal of public debate. It is important that I go back a step so that honourable members know why the community is faced with a draft management plan. Essentially it was a preference deal with the left side of politics in New South Wales. The National Parks Association demanded that a new draft plan of management be established for Kosciuszko National Park. The Government said, "Sure, give us your preferences and we will look after it following the election." As honourable members know, it was a tight election in Monaro. The sitting member, The Nationals Peter Webb, was defeated. Preferences played a big part in that process. Ultimately the people of Queanbeyan, Cooma, Adaminaby and Jindabyne, all those wonderful communities, will be affected because, sadly, their access to Kosciuszko National Park will be cut.
I note that the honourable member for Monaro, Steve Whan, was brave enough to address the 50 or 60 protestors who were out the front dressed in their Akubras and Drizabones and with their stock whips. Unfortunately, he was not able to offer anything to the community. He said it was a process that had to be gone through and he stood by the process. He would not stand in the way of the horse riders, four-wheel drivers, abseilers and other groups who want to do more than just bush walk from accessing the park. It is a sad day when the local member is not prepared to go the extra yard—as former members for Monaro Peter Webb and Peter Cochran did. Peter Cochran was renowned for going the extra yard and sticking up for his constituents.
The Hon. Don Harwin: A very good member.
The Hon. MELINDA PAVEY: He was a very good member. Peter Cochran is involved in the protest movement for continued access to the park. I thank the people of Monaro who travelled to Parliament that day. I met a couple of ladies, Jody Thompson and Georgie Boucher of Jindabyne, who were holding banners at the rally. They left their small businesses in Jindabyne and travelled to Sydney to attend the rally. They are passionate about the issue. It is impractical and unreasonable for people who run small businesses or farms—who do not know from one day to the next what they will be required to do—to have to obtain a permit to access the park to ride their horses. They do not have the time to obtain a permit from the National Parks and Wildlife Service. I respect all the community people who were at the protest defending their way of life.
I also note that on 2 August I had the good fortune to attend the Macedonian National Day celebrations in Queanbeyan at the invitation of Ilijah Tomeski from the Macedonian community. I have never been to a Macedonian National Day celebration before, and it was quite an eye-opener. It was a community celebration presided over by senior priests of the Macedonian Orthodox church and attended by about 500 people, even though it was a workday. It was a great celebration and showed the wonderful spirit of the Macedonian people of the Monaro community.