Public exhibition of the draft amendment provided members of the community with the opportunity to have a say in the management directions for the park.
Kosciuszko National Park is in the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. This amendment addresses issues related to the Snowy 2.0 project. Opportunities to comment closed on 22 March 2021.
What is a plan of management?
Parks and reserves established under the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 need to have a plan of management. The plan includes information on important park values and provides directions for future management.
Once the plan is adopted, no management operations can be undertaken in the park unless they are consistent with the plan.
Plans of management may be amended to support changes to park management or proposed works.
Why was an amendment being prepared?
Recent changes to the Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act 1997 have been enacted to enable the Critical State Significant Infrastructure Snowy 2.0 project to be undertaken. These enable leases, licences and easements to be issued for the project under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974. A number of leases and licences have been issued for the project, with more expected to be issued over the project's development period.
An amendment of the plan is required to ensure that the issuing of tenure under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 for Snowy 2.0 construction and operations authorised under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 can be undertaken in accordance with the plan of management.
When will the amendment be finalised?
At the close of the public exhibition period, we consider all submissions on the draft amendment and prepare a submissions report. We provide the Southern Ranges Regional Advisory Committee and the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council with the amendment, all the submissions and the submissions report. They consider the documents, make comments on the amendment or suggest changes, and provide advice to the Minister for Energy and Environment.
The Minister considers the amendment, submissions and advice, makes any necessary changes and decides whether to adopt the amendment under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974.
Once an amendment is adopted, it is published on the department's website and key stakeholders, including those who made a submission on the draft amendment, will be notified.
How can I get more information about the draft amendment?
For further information about the draft amendment, please contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service Planning Team at [email protected].