Mark Speakman
NSW Leader of the Opposition
Damien Tudehope
Shadow Treasurer
James Griffin
Shadow Minister for Energy, Climate Change and Environment
Kevin Anderson
Shadow Minister for Tourism
The Minns Labor Government is contracting with private companies to take over parts of New South Wales national parks.
Under a new "supported camping" scheme, Labor is handing exclusive control of 23 campgrounds across 16 of the state's most loved national parks to private operators.
These include Kosciuszko, Blue Mountains, Killalea, Bouddi, Mimosa Rocks, Dharug, Booti Booti, Wollemi, Warrumbungle, Ku-ring-gai Chase and Murramarang.
Private operators will have the right to book and resell campsites, hire out caravans, tents and equipment, and sell food packages. They'll be exempt from park entry fees. Families will still have to pay. Labor says it's about "accessibility" and "visitor experience", but those are just buzzwords to hide the truth. This is privatisation of public land.
Leader of the Opposition Mark Speakman said this is gobsmacking hypocrisy from a government that said it was opposed to privatisation.
"Labor promised transparency and fairness, but after three budgets they've delivered spin, slogans and now privatisation of camping sites," Mr Speakman said.
Shadow Treasurer Damien Tudehope said that Labor's "supported camping" is just a money grab.
"It's symptomatic of a government which has lost control of its budget and is now reaching into the pocket of every household that loves getting outdoors," Mr Tudehope said
Shadow Minister for the Environment James Griffin said Labor criticised the former Coalition governments plan to create multi-day walks to ensure everyone in NSW, whether a seasoned hiker or budget conscious family could enjoy our national parks.
"This plan from Labor is another example of them picking the pockets of people trying to visit a NSW national park" Mr Griffin said.
Shadow Minister for Tourism Kevin Anderson said this could put the great outdoors out of reach in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.
"Camping has always been a great Australian pastime, with generations of families enjoying some time away from the rat-race in the peace and tranquillity without breaking the bank," Mr Anderson said.
"Our national parks are a huge draw card for rural and regional areas, receiving more than 50 million visits every year, including 1.8 million overnight campground stays, but now Labor wants to put our most treasured natural assets behind a paywall which is absolutely outrageous."
