Environment groups rally in Port Macquarie and push MPs to maintain koala protections

Co-ordinated protests across the state on November 6 aimed to air concerns about changes to the Local Land Services Act they believe will result in koalas becoming extinct in NSW before 2050.

Protests were held in Coffs Harbour, Grafton, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Sydney, Taree and Tweed Heads.

The Local Land Services Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2020 was introduced into parliament on October 14.

Large-scale agricultural businesses and property developers will be exempt from some koala protection laws.

North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) and other environment groups are strongly urging MPs to block the Bill, which is expected to be voted on in the Upper House on November 11.

The NEFA says it represents the Liberal Party's total capitulation to the loggers and developers at the behest of the National Party and are intended to make the Koala SEPP ineffective.

"This is a despicable act from a government hell-bent on halving our rapidly diminishing populations of koalas, not doubling them," NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said.

Read more: NSW report raises koala extinction fears

In September NSW Nationals leader and deputy premier John Barilaro threatened to blow up the coalition government after demanding concessions for rural property owners regarding protected koala habitats.

Port Macquarie MP Leslie Williams did not support her party's move and subsequently left the Nationals to join the Liberal Party.

A month later amendments were made to the State Environmental Planning Policy, which Premier Gladys Berejiklian described as a balanced outcome, but environmentalists said watered down koala protections.

At a silent vigil outside Mrs Williams' office in Port Macquarie, Susie Russell from NEFA was encouraged the MP opened her doors for a private meeting to listen to their concerns about the "anti-koala" legislation.

NSW Minister for Planning and Public Spaces Rob Stokes was also in attendance.

Ms Russell said the move was an important step on the MP's behalf given the initial stand she made on the Nationals' koala legislation.

"Koalas on private land will continue to die with no requirements to protect them or their habitat, and while logging and land clearing is given the green light," Ms Russell said.

"We had a very robust conversation. (The Minister) thinks the koala SEPP is an improvement. We disagree.

"We are more concerned that the Local Land Services Bill has got some really dire implications for koalas in terms of not allowing future lands identified, or even land already identified in the Port Macquarie koala plan of management, of having any kind of protective recognition for koalas for any activity other than a coastal development.

"So agricultural, logging, all those things now happen without taking into account koalas. Considering the evidence presented to the koala inquiry, up to 85 per cent of this region's koalas died in the fires.

"To have a government not prepared to take steps to identify core koala habitat on private land and work out how it can be protected from damaging activities that are going to kill koalas is very disturbing.

"As far as logging and land clearing is concerned there is no oversight."

Ms Russell said there was agreeance that there needs to be more financial incentives offered to land holders to manage their land for conservation.

"Up until now the slice of the pie that (the state government) given for that has been miniscule compared to the money they have given to people to carry out logging," Ms Russell said.

"What we're saying is the government has major reviews in place, including responding to the koala inquiry, and it is absolutely outrageous and contemptuous of the public process to be bringing in laws that completely preempt that process.

"If you are going to hold a consultation, if you are going to hold an inquiry, if you are going to hold a review, the very least you can do is wait until those outcomes are in before you lock in, for example, logging legislation for another 30 years."

Mrs Williams said the discussion was productive and assured she understod some of the concerns raised.

The MP said it is likely after the issue is debated in the upper house it will come back with amendments.

Mrs Williams took the Minister to the Koala Hospital to speak with Cheyene Flanagan who has presented evidence to the koala inquiry. She said there is heightened awareness about the future of the species given the devastating impacts of the 2019-20 bushfires.

"I accept there are concerns. If you're removing koala trees to build a road, the Transport for NSW and Forestry have clear guidelines about what the processes are if they come across habitat they need to address," Mrs Williams said.

"In many ways, there is agreeance that there needs to be some similar guidelines for private and native forests. It will be an intense debate.

"The tricky thing with koala protection is there are so many stakeholders who are a part of the discussion - private native forests, forestry, farming and the environment. It's a broad group of stakeholders who have an interest.

"I'll be surprised if there aren't amendments in the upper house this week and they will potentially reflect some of the concerns raised."

While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.