The National Parks Association of NSW, welcomes the statement by Luke Foley (June 22nd 2017) that “Labor, the party that built the finest national park system in the world here in New South Wales, won’t have a bar of a toll road being carved through one of our state’s most popular, most visited national parks, a mecca for our citizens and for tourists, a refuge for hundreds of plant and animal species, and 300 species of birds.”
Anne Reeves, President of the NPA, also welcomed the commitment by Labor that “a Labor Government, upon coming to office in 2019, will act to nominate the Royal National Park for World Heritage Listing” and endorsed the motion tabled by Tony Burke (23rd June 2017) that recognised the national heritage values of Royal National Park, supported its nomination for World Heritage and would consult with Traditional Owners and the local community to act on its nomination.
She compared this commitment to those made by local Liberal politicians whose equivocation or silence disturbed her. The equivocation of the Member for Heathcote, Lee Evans, the silence of the Member for Miranda, Eleni Petinos, and the dangerous shifting of ground by the Member for Cronulla, Mark Speakman, whose words that “if there was a need to use any part of the Royal National Park, it would be compensated by additions to the park” (The Leader 21st June 2014) stand in stark contrast to those commitments by Labor.
She reiterated the words of Southern Sydney Branch President, Brian Everingham, that “our national park estate is not open space to be set aside until we can find another use for it, that it is an important heritage asset, a vital component in protecting our biodiversity, an important set of lungs for our crowded city and a haven of peace to which more and more residents go to seek solace” and called upon politicians of all persuasions to fight to protect this vital part of our national heritage.
NPA looks forward to working closely with the NSW Labor Party to further refine its commitments to the Royal National Park.
Media contact Brian Everingham: M 0419260236
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