A small community on the NSW Mid North Coast has won a battle to preserve beach access that it risked losing under plans proposed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
Residents of Crescent Head campaigned for two years against an NPWS draft plan of management that would have seen access to some areas on local beaches restricted for dog walkers and other users.
Thanks to the community's protests, the NPWS has agreed to a two-year transitional arrangement that will allow dogs to continue using existing beach access routes until mid-2025.
"Everybody thought NPWS was too big, too strong … but I think other people needed to see that it can be done,” Crescent Head Dog and Walkers Group (CHDaWG) president and founder Jann Eason said.
While happy with their reprieve, the campaigners said their experience reflected what they felt was poor community consultation by NPWS and were concerned other areas in NSW were facing similar problems.
Ms Eason said many of the issues stemmed from NPWS changing the boundaries of Goolawah National Park, which she said most locals were unaware of until her group started its campaign.
She said negotiating with NPWS was difficult and she felt they were unwilling to consider any flexibility.
"NPWS set up this situation in a way that one side would win and one side would lose — there was nothing in between," Ms Eason said.
After attending two rallies in Crescent Head, NSW Legislative Council member Mark Banasiak of the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party has pledged to seek a parliamentary inquiry into the NPWS.
"I think there needs to be a cultural shift in the department," Mr Banasiak said.
"There are lots of examples where there hasn't been good consultation and good engagement with the community, and not just in plans of management."
The NPWS declined to comment directly on calls for an inquiry into consultation processes, but a spokesperson said in a statement the organisation "always aims to engage with the community and stakeholders in an open and transparent manner".
The spokesperson said the draft management plans for parks around Crescent Head were "subject to an extensive consultation … followed by three months of public exhibition".
Concern 'eco-tourism' is locking up national parks
Mr Banasiak said he had received several complaints from locals regarding construction of "eco-accommodation" along the Light to Light walk in the Beowa National Park on the state's south coast.
He said local action groups on the south coast have also flagged increasing restrictions on access to beaches, walking tracks, and fishing areas within the park.
"A lot of people came to me concerned about how the consultation was run in terms of not being well advertised and well managed," he said.
Mr Banasiak said recreational activities had also been restricted and people fined in the recently expanded Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains region.
With eco-tourism projects increasing in national parks, Mr Banasiak said he was not convinced by economic arguments supporting the trend.
"Eco-tourism is a bit of a misnomer when you're putting a bigger footprint on the land when you're building in parks instead of just having free camping on the ground," he said.
"Not to say there isn't a place for it, but there needs to be a balance. Public land is for all, not just a select few."
