A Massive New National Park Proposed for Southern NSW

A conservation group called the National Parks Association of NSW wants to create a giant new national park in southern New South Wales. The plan is named the Great Southern Forest National Park. It would protect more than 1.2 million hectares of forest, stretching from the Victorian border to just south of Wollongong. Whether it happens may depend on a key vote in Australia's Senate.

The proposal would permanently protect 365,000 hectares of state forests from logging. Those forests would be combined with 824,000 hectares of existing national parks and nature reserves. Together, that makes nearly 1.2 million hectares in total — far bigger than the planned Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast. The Great Koala National Park is planned to cover about 476,000 hectares.

NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe says she is aware of the proposal. She mentioned a funding tool called the Improved Native Forest Management method, or INFM, which could help pay for new parks. 'Methods like the INFM method would create a framework that could make it easier to create projects like this,' she said. The INFM allows forests to earn special carbon credits by staying protected instead of being logged.

These carbon credits are called Australian Carbon Credit Units, or ACCUs. Big companies that produce too much greenhouse gas pollution must buy ACCUs if they go over their legal limit. Protecting forests helps absorb carbon dioxide from the air, which earns the credits. This same system is already being used to help fund the Great Koala National Park.

However, the Senate is due to vote on whether to keep or cancel the INFM. Some senators from the Nationals party want to cancel it. Some members of the Greens party are also considering voting against it, arguing that carbon credits let polluting industries keep causing harm. The Greens said on Friday they were still deciding how to vote.

The southern NSW forests are home to many rare and endangered animals. These include the long-footed potoroo, smoky mouse, swift parrot, regent honeyeater, greater glider, koala, quoll, and the colourful gang-gang cockatoo. The conservation group says that logging, climate change, and the huge 2019-20 bushfires have put these species at serious risk. Protecting the forests, they argue, is urgently needed.

Many Aboriginal groups strongly support the carbon credit plan. They see it as a way to protect their Country and create jobs for young Aboriginal people. The Great Koala National Park Aboriginal Advisory Committee wrote an open letter to senators saying the money would fund Aboriginal rangers and help communities access culturally important land. The Bega Local Aboriginal Land Council also wrote to the Greens in strong support.

Nature Conservation Council campaigner Clancy Barnard said proper funding is essential for parks to actually work. He pointed to Victoria as a warning — when logging stopped there, not enough money was spent on managing those forests. Without funding for staff, restoration, and First Nations management, parks can become 'paper parks' that exist in name only. He warned this increases bushfire risk and makes it harder for people to visit and enjoy the land.

NSW Greens MP Sue Higginson warned that if the Senate cancels the INFM, the timber industry might push for its own carbon credit method — one that still allows logging to continue. 'That would be perverse,' she said. Supporters say the INFM is one of the most trustworthy carbon credit methods ever proposed in Australia. A timber industry spokesperson said Australians need a broader conversation about the future of their forests.

Australia has promised to protect 30 per cent of its land by 2030, but only 11 to 13 per cent of NSW land is currently protected. Victoria has nearly 18 per cent protected. Supporters of the Great Southern Forest proposal say the new park would be a major step toward meeting that goal. It would also protect some of Australia's most unique and threatened wildlife for future generations.