In seeking support from members for this purchase the debate naturally gravitated to the Internet. Through Birding-aus, a wide-ranging discussion covered the merits and/or otherwise of private ownership and management of an area that is to be managed for its conservation values.

On behalf of all groups that have campaigned for a publicly owned national park system I raised the issue that would be uppermost in the minds of NPA members. If the public, through private subscription, can purchase areas that can then be managed for conservation, what role might government see for itself? Is this the excuse that governments have been waiting for? Is this a reason for them to retreat even further, and is this a possible opening for the privatisation of our national parks estate? Naturally I would be horrified if this were to occur.

This opened up the debate and I am afraid that government agencies responsible for the management of national parks and their equivalent have a major issue on their hands.

In reply to my own letter Tony Russell wrote:

"Well, much as I agree that we shouldn’t let governments slide out of their responsibilities … in regards to natural heritage, surely it’s got to a point where we cannot trust them to not do so. I too gave money for Gluepot, and I’ll give for Newhaven too, as I’m certain will many, many others.

"In SA over the last ten years or so we have seen a steady depletion of park staff to a point where many parks have no resident ranger and are 'supposed' to be looked after by staff from, in some cases, hundreds of kilometres away ...

"Of course when visiting these parks one never sees a ranger, or even evidence of them having been there – little maintenance of fences or tracks and so on. And this inability to manage through lack of staff leads to open slather by hoons and vandals because they too recognise there is no-one to police the areas. So we see areas ripped up by motorbikes and fences knocked down to gain access.

"It can also lead to releasing areas back to miners (such as Yumburra Conservation Park near Ceduna), because in the absence of local staff telling them otherwise the government very conveniently sees the area being little used or of little use for anything else. So properties fall in danger of becoming part of Oz governments’ mad spree, selling off assets and utilities in the pretext of making budgets balance…

"Yes, I’ll be contributing to the purchase of Newhaven just as I am a constant contributor to The Australian Bush Heritage Fund. I’m convinced that private ownership, properly managed, is the only way to retain what little natural heritage there is left. I’d draw your attention to what Wamsley is achieving ... And don’t you think that what BA has already achieved at Gluepot is a wonderful example of what we should be doing in the absence of any conscience or commitment from governments?

"Yes, yes, it lets them off the hook, but I’m not prepared to wait through the next millenium – it’s a pipedream to think that governments will ever improve. We’d need a parliament of Bob Browns to get any change. We have to get out there and do it in spite of them; in other areas of life when others fail to do the job properly, you hop in and do it yourself – this is no different. Get in there, do it!

"The rapid raising of private money for the purchase of Gluepot was a clear indicator that people are prepared to support such projects – and I’m sure it will happen for Newhaven too."

Peter Waanders replied:

"I fully agree with you ... Gluepot is a good example of how a nationwide community can achieve a lot more in a few years than the government has in decades. I think under the present system it is, unfortunately, the only way to go if we are serious about protecting large [areas of] remnant native vegetation and its associated bird and wildlife.

"Understaffing has rapidly deteriorated the few national or conservation parks in SA. Maize Island CP, near Waikerie (gateway to Gluepot), is 'managed' by 2 rangers whose office is only half an hour’s drive away. If it wasn’t for a local service club having taken on the role of 'friends of ...' the place would be totally wrecked by hoons and 4WDs by now. One of the rangers attended a cheque presentation ceremony (isn’t it ridiculous! A local community group is receiving NHT funding to fix up a state conservation park!) during which occasion he not only admitted he’d never been there before during his three years as a ranger, but also publicly stated that he thought opening up Yumbarra CP near Ceduna for mining was one of the best ideas ever! What hope have we got with people like that?"

Richard Jordan added: "Our public lands are generally in a parlous state. It is hard to understand how management of a property by Birds Australia could possibly be worse than the example set by government. Although, it must be said, there are many examples of good management. And, OK, we have to pressure government to lift their act as they do control an awful lot of land. But the good examples usually involve the expenditure of vast amounts of money – much of it wasted or spent on large ‘information’ centres (such as restaurants and shops, with some posters and stuffed animals for ‘information’). Feral animal and weed control is usually nonexistent or perfunctory and ‘field’ staff never seem to make it into the field, or are spread so thinly as to be invisible.

"I could mention some shining lights to counter this impression – the early years of Lawn Hill NP, Two Peoples Bay NR, Dryandra Forest, Uluru (except for the rock-climbing), the cultural centre in Kakadu NP ... the walks in the Minnamurra rainforest and Tibooburra Park Information Centre all come to mind. But the overall picture is a mixture of under-resourcing combined with wastage. If you add to that the continual organisational revolutions, you do not have a pretty picture."

The debate continued for some time but the gist of the matter is that many people who do know what is happening out there in the national parks have decided that governments across Australia have failed us. The park systems have been starved of funds, feral animal and weed problems abound, management is by benign neglect and park rangers are rarely on the ground. They do not even know what is happening in the parks for which they are accountable.

Is this the problem we face here in NSW? Can we say that we do have a park system of which we can be proud? Are our rangers familiar with the parks under their care? Do we have active and effective management? Or are these places of neglect, where wildlife is under almost as much long-term threat as if it were on private lands?

Perhaps we need a searching debate on these issues within the NPA. We will need hard evidence. Our many members who walk the parks and see them every weekend and on many weekdays will need to be involved. We need to hear about both good and poor management. We need reports and feedback. We also need you, the members, to let your politicians know if you believe that our reserve system is important to you. And we need copies of their responses.

I am coming to the opinion that the National Parks Australia Council, the Australia-wide affiliation to which we belong, should sponsor a prize evening at which the best public reserve is recognized and given an award. The ranger in charge should be presented with that award and the whole event publicised in the media. We must lift the profile of good, well-managed public reserves. They DO exist and we DO have good rangers. They deserve the attention.

We must also expose poor management, encourage the various agencies to lift their game and ensure that our public reserves are well managed.

Let us ensure that this country has a natural reserve system of which we can all be proud.

It’s over to you!

Brian Everingham
NPA Secretary