NSW Reporting Requirements and Restrictions for Ministers Acquiring National Park Land

National Parks and Wildlife Amendment (Land Boundaries and Acquisitions) Bill 2026

Independent Bill

12 Feb 2026: This bill has lapsed and is no longer under discussion.

Legislative Assembly

Legislative Council

Assent

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Topics

economic impact environmental benefits land acquisition local government public land use

Introduced by: Roy Butler MP (IND)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Official page: bill text and explanatory notes

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

The Environment Minister cannot acquire land for national parks unless fencing cost arrangements are in place and the land becomes rateable.
The Environment Minister must get a report from the regional advisory committee on the policy objectives of an acquisition before the land is acquired.
Local councils can nominate a temporary member of the regional advisory committee to help prepare the policy objectives report.
The Environment Minister must review whether the policy objectives were met roughly five years after the land is acquired.
The Environment Minister must table the results of the acquisition review in both Houses of Parliament.

News articles and press releases

National Parks and Wildlife Amendment (Land Boundaries and Acquisitions) Bill 2026

Mr ROY BUTLER, Member for Barwon — 2026-02-12

Schedule 1 to the bill provides that, before acquiring land under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, the Minister must obtain a report on the acquisition’s policy objectives from the regional advisory committee that administers the area where the land is located. There are 7.6 million hectares of land in New South Wales as part of the national park estate. Given the ongoing and significant land acquisitions, there should be a policy to assess the economic impact on the local economy, including expected revenue from the acquisitions, the effect on private businesses with a commercial connection to the land and the impact on council rates.