4WD access to NSW public land under the spotlight in popular petition

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More than 25,000 signatures have been lodged in support for an online petition calling for greater transparency into how four-wheel-drives and recreational users are allowed – and denied – access into public lands by the National Parks and Wildlife Service in New South Wales. 

Access into National Parks by four-wheel-drive vehicles – whether to explore off-road tracks, reach campsites or other uses – has been a sore point for decades in Australia, but in recent years a growing number of National Parks have been shutting off access to 4WDs.

Now a new e-petition to the New South Wales Legislative Council – started by Tony Crooke, host of The Outer Side podcast and supported by John Ruddick MLC of the Libertarian Party – aims to scrutinise the government’s actions.

If the petition is successful, it could see changes to the way public land is managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Services, and how access to recreational users is controlled.

In addition to 4WDs, this petition could also have ramifications for other recreational users in New South Wales like campers, bushwalkers, hikers, bike riders and rock climbers.

Initial interest in the petition – which attracted more than 10,000 signatures in two days – was popular enough to cause a temporary shutdown of the New South Wales government website.

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Speaking to Drive, John Ruddick MLC described it as "the most popular petition this century, outside of euthanasia petitions."

"We're increasingly seeing National Parks closed off to the public. And the Libertarian Party asks, what is the purpose of National Parks if it's not for people to enjoy them, and to have an appreciation of nature?

"…There is clearly a public interest in this, when are we going to stop locking up our parks?

"(The government) doesn't want scrutiny or transparency. They don’t want this discussed. They just want to do this like the old boiling frog experiment, just slowly, slowly, slowly, so the public don’t know what’s going on."

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The e-petition – hosted on the Parliament of New South Wales website – could become a debate in the Legislative Council as a matter of public importance.

In a written statement, a spokesperson for the Minister for Environment Penny Sharpe said: "Matters of public importance (MPI) are discussed in the Legislative Council during government time.

“If Mr Ruddick seeks to raise an MPI, the Government will consider this at that time.”

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This petition in New South Wales follows a similar movement in Victoria, where over 40,000 signatures called on the government to stop the creation of new national parks in the state, and keep areas open to "public access and traditional activities."

It also follows public backlash against the Great Northern Brewing Company beer brand in late 2024, which led it to scrap a marketing campaign run in collaboration with the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife that looked to fund the expansion of national parks in Australia.

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Crooke told Drive he began the petition after seeing a similar action garner around 6000 signatures in 2024, but was dissatisfied with the response from Minister Sharpe.

E-petitions in New South Wales signed by more than 500 people require a response from the relevant minister.

In a letter responding to the previous petition on November 25, 2024, Minister Sharpe said: "There has been no reduction in the overall public access of national parks."

However, this claim is contested by Crooke.

"Anyone involved in the four-wheel drive community knows that there’s been significant reductions in access in places like Gardens of Stone National Park, Meryla State Forest, McBride’s Beach, and I could go on," he told Drive.

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While popular e-petitions in the New South Wales Legislative Council do not trigger an automatic debate, it is able to be introduced to the Council by John Ruddick MLC as a matter of public interest, after the petition has concluded on March 21.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service website states it currently manages 7.6 million hectares of land, which represents 9.5 per cent of the total landmass of the state. The website also states: "We are committed to conservation of our state’s biodiversity and cultural heritage."

Drive has asked the National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) and Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEW) in New South Wales for statistics on land management and closures, but is yet to receive a response. 

"What's really interesting out of all this is I’ve had a few National Parks employees reach out to me online," Mr Crooke told Drive.

"None of them are willing to put their name in the public domain, for obvious reasons. But a huge number of the frontline parks workers are saying there’s a massive issue. We’re not doing this correctly, and the bureaucracy and the frontline workers are completely disconnected."

When contacted, none of those NPWS employees were willing to speak to Drive to verify these claims.

The post 4WD access to NSW public land under the spotlight in popular petition appeared first on Drive.