The New South Wales government’s policy to protect koala habitat – or lack thereof – appears to be motivated by public outcry rather than protecting an endangered species, writes Sue Arnold.
Koalas are one of the best examples of government shams. They are designed to look good, but in reality they are a recipe for politically motivated extinction when a wild species is hindering growth.
Koala conservation promises and policies are a chaotic web of conflicting proposals, none of which is capable of protecting the species’ habitat. Without habitat, koalas cannot survive.
Because koalas are an umbrella species for coastal forest ecosystems, their extinction will cause similar problems for much of the biodiversity.
The koalas suffered a severe blow in the Black Summer bushfires: at least 8,000 animals burned to death on the Mid North Coast – the site of the planned and promised Great Koala National Park (GKNP).
In February 2022, then Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley classified koalas as endangered. Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)In June 2022, the New South Wales Government classified koalas as endangered under the Biological Diversity Conservation Act 2016.
In its response to the listing, the Environmental Defenders Office also pointed out that:
“The upgrading of the koala from vulnerable to endangered is a clear sign that successive governments have failed to take the necessary action to reverse the decline in the koala population. Koala protection must be strengthened across the board to ensure the decline does not continue and end with the extinction of koalas in the wild in NSW.”
But legal protection was not strengthened, leaving koala populations vulnerable to industrial logging of their natural forests and large-scale urban development projects in southwest Sydney – both projects literally tearing the heart out of the koalas’ vital habitat.
More nails in the koala’s coffin.
In 2018, the Coalition Government launched the NSW Koala Strategy and pledged an investment of more than $44.7 million in “Stabilize koala populations.”
In 2023, the Minns Government announced a new Koala Strategy with an investment of $190 million that will: ‘Actions the New South Wales Government will take to achieve its long-term goal of doubling the koala population by 2050.”
Given that the government(s) have vehemently rejected any possibility of surveying the koala population following the bushfires, it is safe to say that “Doubling of koala population” If no one knows how many koalas there are in NSW, it’s a useless goal.
And why 2050? This mantra is sung not only by politicians, but also by some scientists, conservation organizations and the mainstream media. The magic number of species extinction is based on a 2021 model by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
According to a study, koalas on the east coast of Australia could be extinct by 2050. Koala populations on the east coast include New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.
How exactly the New South Wales Government links the East Coast prediction that species will become extinct by 2050 with the New South Wales prediction, “Population to double by 2050” is unclear. Where exactly will the population double? How? Koala Viagra?
More specifically, can the Minnesota Government name one project, funded to the tune of $234 million, that has increased the koala population? How are the koalas doing, considering the strategy has been in place for around six years now?
There is little doubt that Labor’s promise to create the park won it many votes in the 2023 New South Wales election. After taking office, New South Wales Environment Minister Penny Sharpe made it clear that logging for the planned park would not stop. The forestry industry also made its position clear.
At a time when the construction industry is suffering from supply shortages, Australian Forest Products Association Chief Executive Victor Violante said the timber industry must co-exist with the GKNP.
“That would be our starting point: the question of how we can have a GKNP alongside a strong timber industry.”
A few months after taking office, the government insisted that the park would not be declared a national park until its final term in office.
In response to public outrage, Sharpe announced in 2023 that 106 koala centers in the planned park would be protected from deforestation.
Sharpe explained:
“The creation of the GKNP is critical to saving koalas from extinction in NSW.”
The Minister directed the New South Wales Environmental Protection Agency to develop a new requirement to protect koala hotspots under the Coastal Integration Forestry Operations Approval (CIFOA) process, which governs the state’s management of the state’s native forests by the state’s forestry corporation.
In other state-owned forests that are being logged or have been approved for logging, no stronger protections have been put in place for koala habitat.
Rather than implementing the measure nationwide, the government has logically decided that some koalas in the proposed undesignated park, which is surrounded by logging operations, would receive some protection, while the rest of the state’s population inside or outside native forests would receive nothing.
In south-west Sydney, bulldozers are turning koala habitats into war zones. Koalas are being killed in large numbers as they attempt to cross the busy Appin Road in Campbelltown.
Government-approved wildlife crossings never took place. The Minns Government has maintained the previous Government’s plan to build residential housing in the Greater Macarthur, Greater Penrith, Eastern Creek, Western Sydney Aerotropolis and Wilton regions.
The government plans to clear 1,758 hectares of koala habitat to build 73,000 houses.
Sharpe said of the plan:
“Strikes the right balance between the urgent need for housing and infrastructure in our growing city and the conservation and protection of our natural habitat and wildlife.”
This essentially means that there will be no more wild animals to protect because they do not cope well with traffic, fences, dogs, cats, schools, hospitals and shopping malls.
No major protections have been put in place for koalas from these major urbanisation projects. There are only ‘plans’ in place to encourage further catastrophic habitat loss.
In March, Sharpe organised a koala summit at Taronga Zoo to “Review strategy and design action to protect koalas in NSW.”
The invitations were strictly limited: 140 participants from various interest groups, but no troublemakers.
The discussion focused on “the effectiveness of efforts to protect koalas and make recommendations to shape the future of the strategy.”
Apparently no resolutions were passed, as there were no ministerial recommendations on the outcome of the summit. Further discussions? How many more?
There was a House of Lords parliamentary inquiry in 2019 and 2020 and there is extensive published scientific research providing evidence of declining populations, coupled with public demonstrations, forest protests, habitat loss, drought and the impacts of climate change.
After the summit, the public was invited to comment on a discussion paper that required answers to focus questions, ensuring that the submitter adhered to the parameters of a limited, tightly controlled discussion. Questions included:
“How can landowners be supported to participate in natural capital markets and other opportunities that lead to better outcomes for koalas? Do you believe the combination of habitat acquisition, private land protection and habitat restoration is the right approach to protect important koala habitat? What else should the New South Wales Government do to protect koala habitat?”
In a cross-ministerial press release on the GKNP in November 2023, Prime Minister Chris Minns said:
“Due to inaction and neglect by the previous Coalition Government, the koala was officially listed as endangered in NSW. The creation of a Great Koala National Park will reverse the animal’s dismal trajectory.”
Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said:
“The creation of a Great Koala National Park is the Labor Government’s most significant environmental commitment.”
Sue Arnold is an IA columnist and freelance investigative journalist. You can follow Sue on Twitter. @koalacrisis.
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