Kosciuszko National Park
("KNP") 673,542 hectares / 1.664 million acres
In 1943 this area was proclaimed Kosciuszko
State Park (KSP Act 1944) and the Act clearly stated that " the area
to be available for recreation etc. subject to the Regulations, land
within the KSP shall be available to the public for the purpose of
riding, hiking, camping, snow sports and any other form of
recreation and the public shall have
free access to and
over all roads and tracks, and to all fishing streams in the park".
With the passage of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1967(
consolidated and amended in 1974) the result was the transfer of
management responsibilities from the Kosciuszko State Park Trust to
the newly created National Parks and Wildlife Service ("NPWS").
The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 states" the purpose of
reserving land as a national park is to identify, protect and
conserve areas containing outstanding or representative ecosystems,
and natural or cultural features, landscapes or phenomena that
provide opportunities
for public appreciation, inspiration, sustainable visitor use and
enjoyment".
To-day public recreational use by those other than bushwalkers, is
prohibited in
over 50% of KNP due to wilderness zonings. If the extreme green groups
get their way the "lockout"
would be 100%.
We, the Australian public, are progressively losing access to our own
public land and are not
protecting what little European heritage
that
still remains. How
did this happen? We trusted our Politicians to look after our
interests, we allowed the very extreme/radical minority environmental
groups to exercise undue influence in the community and they now
appear to hold political parties "hostage" by the allocation of
preference votes. We the silent majority did not speak out
effectively, not like the way we did in the
"Save our Snowy"
campaign.
Therefore, the purpose of SMBUG( with its growing membership of
likeminded people) is to speak out, lobby our politicians and create
public awareness as to what is happening in our "beloved" Snowy
Mountains in relation to our mountain heritage, the mountain
brumby, the ever increasing access restrictions and inept land
management by NPWS.
