Berejiklian under pressure over bill that could wipe out koalas

November 10, 2020
Issue 
Save Our Koalas protest at NSW Parliament House on November 10. Photo: Peter Boyle

Around 100 people rallied behind the NSW Parliament House on November 10 to cap off a Save Our Koalas week of action.

Greens MP Cate Faehrmann told the crowd: "The so-called 'compromise bill' between Liberal Premier Gladys Berejiklian and the National Party is an absolute shocker."

Thousands of protest emails from opponents of the Local Land Services (Amendment) Bill had "crashed the parliamentary server"  — the first time this has ever happened, she said.

"The Liberals are very nervous about the growing opposition to the bill. The bill won't now be coming before the Upper House today, as originally expected.

"Koala habitat is effectively not protected on private land, except in six cases only where a management plan is in place. And two-thirds of the remaining koalas in NSW are on private land."

After the black summer bushfires, the government may be signing the death warrant for NSW’s koalas.

"We have stopped this atrocious bill for now. We all need to keep the pressure on the Liberals over the next few weeks," Faehrmann added, promising to "send the bill to an Upper House inquiry, to increase the scrutiny".

Weekly vigils will be held every Tuesday in Martin Place, from noon to 1pm, until the bill is defeated.

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