Wednesday August 13, 2025
Volume 40 No. 29
$2 inc. GST
The Cobar Weekly Local police recognised for service Pg 2, 6 & 7
Celebrating our Aged Care workers Pg 3
Harmony is a step closer to acquiring CSA Pg 6
Calls to stop locking up agricultural land The NSW Government’s recent acquisi- grounds,” he said. “This would also bring revenue from consertion of almost 35,000 hectares of land in “Fences and watering holes usually aren’t vation hunters into the community, helping north west New South Wales, has raised maintained, so pest animals find refuge in offset the loss of the working station. some questions with locals. National Parks then advance onto neighbour- “Rather than locking up thousands of hecThree pastoral stations, Iona north west of ing lands and cause problems for graziers. tares to protect ecologically significant areas or Cobar, Bellenbar north west of Bourke and “One solution I’ve been advocating for is to vulnerable ecosystems, these lands would be Innisfail, north west of Brewarrina, have re- allow conservation hunting on far western better entrusted to landholders as stewards of cently been purchased by the State Govern- National Parks that don’t have tourism infra- the land,” Mr Butler said. Continued Page 2. ment to be converted to National Parks. structure. State Member for Barwon Roy Butler is asking when is the State Government going to stop locking up agricultural land in western NSW? Mr Butler said the conversion of pastoral land to National Parks damages the local community and nearby graziers. “Newly-created National Parks no longer pay rates to local councils and cease to support many local businesses, leading to a hollowing out of the local economy,” Mr Butler said. “The promise of increased tourism is usually dangled like a carrot, but local communities have seen enough National Park conversions to know that tourism doesn’t offset the revenue lost from a working station. “The promised tourist infrastructure is rarely built and few, if any, jobs are created. “The Government is buying land at a premium, which denies local families the opportunity to become pastoralists themselves and contribute to the local economy. “I hear even more agricultural properties in western NSW are being targeted for purchase – when will it be enough?” Mr Butler said. Advocates of expanding National Parks often point to environmental benefits, but don’t take account of increased pest animals. “Former working stations that have been Iona, 100km north west of Cobar, is one of three large parcels of land in the north west converted to National Parks have a bad reputa- of NSW that has recently been added to the State Government’s networks of national tion for serving as pest animal breeding parks. Iona Church Hills photo courtesy of K Owen