CITY of Coffs Harbour Councillor Jonathan Cassell is calling on the Minns Government to follow in the footsteps of past Labor leaders like Bob Carr, to secure NSW’s environmental future.
Cr Cassell is an Advisory Panel member for the Great Koala National Park (GKNP).
He is urging Premier Chris Minns to seize a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” and formally establish the full 315,000-hectare GKNP.
In a letter addressed to the Premier and to Climate and Environment Minister Penny Sharpe, Cr Cassell highlights the widespread community support for the park.
He said a Member of Parliament was personally delivering the letter on his behalf.
Cr Cassell describes the GKNP as “a momentous initiative” capable of delivering long-term regional economic renewal, job creation, and critical environmental protection.
“The Mid North Coast is at a crossroads,” he wrote.
“Native forestry is in transition, and we must offer communities new, stable pathways forward through economic renewal, Indigenous-led enterprises, conservation, and education.
“It is popularly supported that the NSW Government declare the full-sized Great Koala National Park, with a large majority of Coffs Coast residents in support of the proposal.”
Cr Cassell also emphasises the park’s vital role in protecting NSW’s largest and most genetically diverse population of approximately 12,000 koalas who live within the proposed park area.
“The park is vital in order to meet NSW’s emissions reduction commitments, maintain healthy drinking water, prevent the extinction of native animals such as koalas and increase resilience against climate extremes.
“The Great Koala National Park is more than a conservation effort. It’s a generational statement of who we are and what we value.”
Andrew VIVIAN
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