NEW tourism laws could pave the way for supermarkets, rifle ranges, car race tracks, and even fast food chains to be built in national parks across NSW, environment groups have claimed.
Legislation amending the National Parks and Wildlife Act is expected to be introduced in this session of Parliament.
The draft bill would allow the state government to grant exclusive leases and licences to private companies wanting to establish tourist accommodation, shops, restaurants, cafes, conference facilities, and sport and recreational activities in national parks, nature reserves and conservation areas.
Independent legal advice commissioned by environment groups suggests the new laws, which hand the environment minister the power to approve the leases, would open national parks to large-scale commercial operations like chain restaurants.
''It extends well beyond accommodation for tourists and visitors,'' barrister Tim Robertson, SC, said. ''It includes supermarkets … fast food outlets such as McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken, reception lounges for weddings and other celebrations, venues for conferences, sporting facilities such as rifle ranges, car racing circuits and horse racing tracks, fun parks and, of course, tourist resorts.
''Indeed, there is very little that is done at Darling Harbour and Disneyland that will not be able to be done in a national park,'' he said.
However, the office of the Environment Minister, Frank Sartor, said the bill did not open national parks to new developments. ''There are no uses allowable in the bill that are not already permitted in the existing National Parks and Wildlife Act,'' a spokeswoman said.
''The minister has held substantial discussions with environment groups in recent days and weeks, and there is no doubt that the bill in its current form is much more pro-conservation that the existing act.''
According to the National Parks Association of NSW, there are only 18 leases or licences for accommodation and commercial operations across more than 750 parks and reserves in NSW outside Kosciuszko and Hill End Historic Site.
Courts have previously restrained development in national parks and reserves because they were legally protected from activities that damaged the ecology or landscape.
The new laws would ''destroy'' this principle, Mr Robertson said.
''It provides legal authority for the privatisation of national parks by enabling exclusive possession rights to be given for commercial purposes to private interests under the broad rubric of sustainable tourism.''
The bill could also give tourist operators the right to exclude people from national parks under their lease terms and authorise land-clearing for development in previously protected areas, he said.
''In my opinion, the bill will make a revolutionary change in the use of national parks.''
Mr Robertson also expressed concern ''sustainable tourism'' was not defined in the draft bill.
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW is concerned a ''hostile'' government or minister could approve large resorts in national parks, like the Emirates' Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa on the edge of the World Heritage Wollemi National Park.
''What's the purpose of a national park? Is it preserving it or making money?'' the acting chief executive, Haydn Washington, said. ''It's all about branding and marketing.''
Developers would ultimately benefit from the laws, particularly in coastal areas, said the director of the Colong Foundation for Wilderness, Keith Muir. ''The commercial development in reserved wilderness is anathema to the integrity of our national parks system, and must be stopped at all costs," he said.
Greens MLC Ian Cohen believes ''glamping'', or glamour camping, could replace existing, low-impact camp sites.
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