New South Wales establishes Great Koala National Park after carbon project approval

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Great Koala National Park NSW

Highlights

NSW parliament approved legislation creating the 478,000-hectare Great Koala National Park, consolidating 178,000 hectares of state forest and Crown land.
The federal Clean Energy Regulator registered 117,000 hectares in the park for carbon credit protection, supporting a halt to native forest logging.
Timber industry leaders report staff layoffs and reduced orders on the Mid North Coast following the logging moratorium and park announcement.

Legislation and carbon framework advance park creation

As reported by ABC News, the NSW parliament has passed legislation to officially create the Great Koala National Park after a marathon debate in the Legislative Council that ran for more than 14 hours and examined about 160 amendments.

The park is set to cover 478,000 hectares between Kempsey and Grafton, making it New South Wales's second-largest national park. It fulfills a key Labor commitment made during the 2023 state election and will bring together existing national parks with more than 178,000 hectares of state forest and Crown land.

NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said in a statement that the measure marks a defining moment for conservation in the state and will protect more than 100 species of flora and fauna. She said the government has cleared the final hurdles after years of assessments, consultation and planning.

Key to the plan is the federal Clean Energy Regulator's registration of the land for carbon credits. The regulator announced on Thursday that more than 117,000 hectares have been designated for carbon protection, supporting the halt to native forest logging in the park's state forest areas.

Conservation gains and industry disruption on the Mid North Coast

Environmental campaigners say the park's creation is a major step for protecting koalas and native forest habitat along the Mid North Coast. Conservationist Ashley Love said the protected area still has fragmentation and connectivity gaps, but described the decision as an important advance.

A moratorium on logging in the proposed park area was introduced last year, and the government offered a transition package to affected workers. The policy is already reshaping regional forestry operations as the new conservation model takes effect.

Timber New South Wales president Andrew Hurford said the logging ban is having a creeping impact on the Mid North Coast timber industry. He said staff have been laid off and engineering firms supporting timber businesses have seen forward orders dry up, leaving activity in the sector slower and quieter.

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