The Crown Lands Management Act 2016 allows the minister to transfer lands to other agencies for disposal without consulting the community. This is no innocuous piece of legislation – this could be used to sell off crown lands like the holiday parks in Brunswick Heads with no community consultation.
‘They have sold billions of dollars of the public’s assets – we need to ensure they don’t start eyeing off valuable crown land sites up and down the coast,’ Country Labor candidate for Ballina, Asren Pugh said.
Shadow Minister for Lands, Mick Veitch says if his government wins the upcoming NSW state election they will ensure that no minister could transfer or sell such land, like Ferry Reserve, Massy Greene and Terrace Reserve in Brunswick Heads, without getting the approval of parliament first.
Don’t sign PoMs
Labor is challenging the Minister for Lands to confirm with the community that he will not sign off on a plan of management (PoM) for Massy Greene and Terrace Reserve in Brunswick before the March 23 State election.
‘Consultation over the draft plan ended on 17 January and since then there has been silence from the National Party. They have made no commitment to keep the Brunswick Holiday Parks lands and management in public hands if they are re-elected,’ said Mr Pugh.
‘The community have the right to know what the National Party are up to when it comes to significant planning decisions around the Brunswick Heads Holiday Parks.
‘The National Party need to back off and ensure no decision is made before the election. Labor has already made strong commitments about returning green space to the community at Terrace Reserve and saving the endangered pines if we are elected,’ he said.
Labor said as part of its reforms, it would employ more Crown Lands staff to undertake land management and bushfire mitigation work, appoint a Crown Land Commissioner as a permanent position, and restore the Trust system abolished by the National Party.
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