Labor’s koala strategy doesn’t go far enough, Coalition says, but environmentalists hail park a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ decision
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The long-awaited great koala national park in the north of New South Wales, celebrated by wildlife groups, has drawn a mixed reaction from the state’s Coalition.
The opposition leader, Mark Speakman has hedged his party’s support, saying while he “supports the ambition of protecting koalas”, he was concerned about job losses and the cost of the park.
But Dugald Saunders, the NSW Nationals leader, was more strident, attacking the timing of the decision as appalling and claiming the livelihoods of entire regional towns would be “obliterated” overnight.
