Graeme Worboys, (Honorary) Associate Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University
The 75th Anniversary of the establishment of Kosciuszko State Park falls on the 19th April 2019. The Park was famously established by Premier William McKell to protect the nationally important mountain water catchments; restore soil erosion caused by burning off and over-grazing by stock and to provide opportunities for visitor use and enjoyment. Kosciuszko is one of the Australia’s greatest national parks; it is a National Heritage Property protecting priceless Australian heritage and receives more than 1 million visits a year. The Park enjoyed 74 years of bipartisan support for conservation until regressive 2018 legislation was passed to retain thousands of feral horses within the Park.
The Nature Conservation Council and National Parks Association welcome state Labor’s commitment to restore NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services staffing levels and reactivate the land acquisition program to protect still-vulnerable ecosystems and species.
ALP Environment Spokesperson Penny Sharpe today pledged that Labor would add 200 more staff to match 2011 levels and resume the national parks acquisition program that has stalled over the past eight years.
The NSW Election is days away and the future of our natural areas will be in the hands of who we elect to represent us in Parliament and who can form Government.
Gladys Berejiklian must act swiftly to defeat a private members bill to downgrade the 41,000-hectare Murray Valley National Park (aka River Red Gums National Park) to a state forest and open it for logging when it is tabled in parliament. 
Snowy Hydro 2.0
The human impact on Kosciuszko National Park (KNP) also continues unabated, with the Federal and NSW Coalition Governments committing to the construction of Snowy Hydro 2.0. While supporting renewable energy like pumped hydro in principle, NPA opposes the development of this type of infrastructure within national parks. In early March, the NSW Planning Minister declared Snowy Hydro 2.0 Critical State Significant Infrastructure, with a Legislative Council Inquiry into the order being held in May. NPA made a submission to the inquiry and appeared as an expert witness. NPA is also preparing a submission in response to the recently released Environmental Impact Statement for Snowy Hydro 2.0 Exploratory Works.