Statement from Minister for the Environment, Penny Sharpe:
The NSW Government has now submitted the Great Koala National Park project to the Clean Energy Regulator for approval.
The project must be approved before the NSW Government can move to legislate the Park.
The Great Koala National Park, if registered successfully, will permanently cease logging in the assessment area.
The park will reserve 176,000 hectares of state forest and connect with existing national parks to create a 476,000-hectare reserve – one of the largest in NSW. It will protect more than 12,000 koalas, 36,000 Greater Gliders and habitat for over 100 other threatened species.
As well as a win for conservation, the Great Koala National Park will provide new, permanent opportunities for Aboriginal people to connect to Country. This will include the first Aboriginal Rangers in NSW from Aboriginal-owned and controlled organisations, funded by the NSW Government.
The Government continues to work closely with businesses and workers who have been affected by this decision.
Recently, the NSW Government welcomed the decision by the independent Emissions Reduction Assurance Committee (ERAC) to approve the ‘Improved Native Forest Management’ (INFM) method for high-integrity Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs).
If the Great Koala National Park Project is approved by the Clean Energy Regulator, the NSW Government will prioritise these ACCUs for targeted manufacturing industries in NSW. This will help to support crucial NSW industries to transition into the future and maintain vital jobs.
ACCUs from the Great Koala National Park will not be able to be sold to coal and gas projects.
Any revenue from the GKNP ACCUs will help to fund ongoing land management of the Great Koala National Park.
