The recent purchase of almost 35,000 hectares of agriculture land in the far west by the NSW Government to be converted to National Parks, will be discussed at Cobar Shire Council’s Ordinary Meeting today.
Cr Bob Sinclair has put forward a Notice of Motion to the meeting looking for support for the Government to provide a business case and management plans for all lands purchased as National Parks within the Far West Region.
Cr Sinclair’s calls upon Council to seek the support of the Far North West Joint Organisation (FNWJO) to write to the Premier and relevant Ministers in the NSW Government for information about all the land purchased as National Parks in the Far West region over the last five years.
Cr Sinclair asks if there are any other means of protecting native fauna and flora i.e. nature credits and how such purchases have and will affect the local communities and their Councils.
He also calls on Council to obtain a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the NSW Government to take into consideration council rates, access to water, road and fire trail maintenance, the erection and maintenance of national park boundary fences, payment of Wild Dog fence rates when breeding programs for wild dogs exist south of the Wild Dog fence, the control of feral animals and noxious weeds.
The matter of the land acquisition was also discussed at Council’s Rural Roads Advisory Committee meeting at Tilpa earlier this month.
Tilpa community resident Justin McClure recommended that Council establish an MOU with National Parks and approach State Member for Barwon Roy Butler to advocate for National Parks’ financial contributions equivalent to rates. He recommended that FNWJO push for clear agreements between Council and National Parks.
Cr Sinclair’s motion is one of two Notices of Motion to be tabled at today’s meeting.
In the second Notice of Motion, Cr Wayne Phillips is calling for the Mayor (on behalf of Council) to write to the Local Government NSW and seek support and action in addressing the lack of mobile phone coverage that occurs between townships that currently exists, in particular in regional NSW.
