NSW Parliament Passes Bill Creating 478,000-Hectare Great Koala National Park

The New South Wales parliament voted to establish the Great Koala National Park, a 478,000-hectare protected area stretching from Kempsey to Grafton on the Mid North Coast. The legislation, passed after more than 14 hours of debate and roughly 160 amendments, combines current national parks with over 178,000 hectares of state forest and Crown land, delivering on a Labor pledge from the 2023 election. The federal Clean Energy Regulator has now registered the project, designating more than 117,000 hectares for carbon-credit generation and effectively ending native-forest logging within the park.

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe described the move as a defining conservation moment, protecting over 100 species. Conservation advocate Ashley Love welcomed the step but said further forest areas still need protection. The logging ban has already led to layoffs and a slowdown for related businesses, with Timber New South Wales’ Andrew Hurford noting industry impacts and the Forestry Corporation of NSW planning to reassign affected staff to the National Parks and Wildlife Service.