Latest news with #SnowyMountains
ABC News
3 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Alasdair McDonald
Forest ecologist Professor David Lindenmayer says the shock discovery of critically endangered Leadbeater's possum is likely a new subspecies. 2h ago 2 hours ago Sun 1 Jun 2025 at 7:57am The Australian Workers Union says it is looking at legal action over claims Snowy 2.0 workers were locked down during this week's strike action. Fri 23 May Fri 23 May Fri 23 May 2025 at 5:43am The family of Canberra man Harri Jokinen, who was killed during a high-speed police pursuit on the Monaro Highway in 2021, hopes an inquest into his death will lead to a change in policy. Fri 16 May Fri 16 May Fri 16 May 2025 at 5:24am Snowy Mountains councillor Andrew Thaler has been ordered to apologise for alleged misconduct. He says he has been denied the presumption of innocence. Tue 6 May Tue 6 May Tue 6 May 2025 at 9:42am NSW government reviews Snowy Mountain councillor Andrew Thaler's behaviour after his colleagues accuse him of poor conduct. Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar Thu 20 Mar 2025 at 12:47am The 34-year-old's body was found south of Eden after a three-day search by emergency services. Mon 10 Mar Mon 10 Mar Mon 10 Mar 2025 at 6:10am Senior Constable Brett David Lindsay will face two separate court hearings for six assault charges relating to alleged incidents while he was on duty on the NSW Far South Coast. Mon 17 Feb Mon 17 Feb Mon 17 Feb 2025 at 9:49pm Missing hiker Hadi Nazari left a trail of clues, but trying to find him in some of the most rugged terrain in NSW was still hard work. Thu 9 Jan Thu 9 Jan Thu 9 Jan 2025 at 7:20am The family of Hadi Nazari, missing in the NSW Snowy Mountains for over a week, is calling for resources from Victoria to be called in to help find the 23-year-old. Fri 3 Jan Fri 3 Jan Fri 3 Jan 2025 at 9:45pm As the search for Hadi Nazari continues in Kosciuszko National Park, the man's friends say they have been given hope by the discovery of some of his possessions in the rugged NSW Snowy Mountains. Thu 2 Jan Thu 2 Jan Thu 2 Jan 2025 at 6:30am Sailor Luke Watkins spent 45 minutes in the water after he was thrown overboard during the Sydney to Hobart yacht race early on Friday morning. He says his safety training and quick thinking from his crew saved his life. Fri 27 Dec Fri 27 Dec Fri 27 Dec 2024 at 5:22pm Hundreds of cases of flesh-eating Buruli ulcer have been reported in Victoria this year, a new study has named a NSW tourist town as the next potential hotspot and has warned of possible spread along NSW coastline Fri 20 Dec Fri 20 Dec Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 9:20pm A high school on the NSW far south coast has closed today after two cleaners found a staff room alight early this morning. The cleaners suffered smoke inhalation, and an investigation into the fire is underway. Wed 4 Dec Wed 4 Dec Wed 4 Dec 2024 at 6:15am Senior Constable Brett David Lindsay pleads not guilty to six assault charges relating to alleged incidents while he was on duty on the NSW far south coast. Mon 25 Nov Mon 25 Nov Mon 25 Nov 2024 at 3:01am A police officer is suspended with pay over the charges, which stem from an incident at a Batemans Bay shopping centre. Fri 8 Nov Fri 8 Nov Fri 8 Nov 2024 at 1:25am Iain Dawson has pleaded guilty to transferring $34,000 of art gallery funds into his own bank account. Wed 16 Oct Wed 16 Oct Wed 16 Oct 2024 at 7:15am Senior Constable Kristian White will face a jury trial in November after he pleaded not guilty over the death of the great-grandmother who was tasered in a Snowy Mountains nursing home in 2023. Wed 16 Oct Wed 16 Oct Wed 16 Oct 2024 at 6:18am Robert Karl Huber has pleaded not guilty to murdering his partner Lindy Lucena, 64, in a Ballina laneway in January 2023. He will face trial later this year. Fri 11 Oct Fri 11 Oct Fri 11 Oct 2024 at 5:01am The Walbunja people of the NSW far south coast have been handed back an important piece of their culture, once owned by the late environmental activist, academic and philosopher Val Plumwood. Mon 23 Sep Mon 23 Sep Mon 23 Sep 2024 at 8:33pm Kristian White is set face trial in NSW Supreme Court on one count of manslaughter after the death of 95-year-old Clare Nowland. Wed 11 Sep Wed 11 Sep Wed 11 Sep 2024 at 3:30am These First Nations students are the traditional people of the New South Wales Snowy Mountains, yet some of them had never set foot on snow before. Sun 8 Sep Sun 8 Sep Sun 8 Sep 2024 at 6:40am A hydrologist says the Snowy 2.0 pumped-hydro scheme will be more resilient to climate change than its predecessor but predicted extreme droughts will cause issues. Thu 5 Sep Thu 5 Sep Thu 5 Sep 2024 at 4:45am The snow season at Charlotte Pass could be under threat after a devastating fire, as its owners meet with the State Government to help plan their recovery. Thu 23 May Thu 23 May Thu 23 May 2024 at 4:21am After 55 years growing oysters, Bernie Connell and his oyster "Jill" look set to break world records after this weekend's Narooma Oyster Festival on the NSW far south coast. Sun 5 May Sun 5 May Sun 5 May 2024 at 7:57am Yuliya Pashkovska, who died at an unpatrolled beach on the New South Wales' South Coast on Tuesday is being remembered as a "much-loved" health care provider. Thu 21 Mar Thu 21 Mar Thu 21 Mar 2024 at 6:25am
ABC News
26-05-2025
- General
- ABC News
Graham Williams
Graham is a born and bred Canberran, who was brought up in Yarralumla (but back when it was a working class suburb!). It was a small house on a big block; his dad chose to have the whole back yard under cultivation, growing enough veggies for the whole community. That's where Graham's green-thumb grew. He always had a connection with the outdoors. According to his poor mother, when he was a baby he would cry at the back door till she let him out - even when it was minus six degrees and frosty - and he would crawl around happily on the ice-hard ground. Throughout his schooling, Graham's interests lay firmly in studies concerning biology and the environment - all other 'lesser' subjects were virtually ignored in their favour. After leaving school Graham worked on farms picking fruit and travelling, returning to Canberra in winter only to pursue his other love, skiing. Getting back to nature, Graham took up in a tee pee up in the Snowy Mountains while working at a ski resort. That's dedication, all right! When he finally settled down, Graham first graced the greenhouses of Yarralumla Nursery were he stayed for several years, working in plant production and floriculture while also studying horticulture at Weston. In 1989 he moved on to Lanyon Homestead were he worked while studying Arborculture (also at Weston). Graham's love of and interest in gardening will always be his primary passion, and he loves learning something new every day through other gardeners and mother nature herself. Since his debut on 666, Graham has taken to radio like a duck to water and relishes chatting with listeners about their gardening joys and woes. Shortly he'll embark of a series of online vodcasts (video web casts) to help listeners hone their own green thumbs.
ABC News
20-05-2025
- Science
- ABC News
Kosciuszko wild horse numbers less than 6,000 triggering reproductive strategy
The NSW Environment Minister says she will turn to focus on managing current populations of feral horses in the Snowy Mountains after "large efforts" to reduce numbers in the past 18 months. The 2024 Kosciuszko National Park wild horse population survey, released publicly on Wednesday morning, has estimated between 1,766 and 5,717 horses are left in the park. The figures are "really reduced" compared to a 2023 survey estimate that around 17,000 horses remained in the park. The state government is legally required to reduce the number to 3,000 by mid-2027 to preserve the environment of Kosciuszko National Park (KNP). "We were hopeful that it would go well," Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said. "We've obviously reduced the number of horses in the park by a large number. The peer-reviewed survey, the fourth of its kind since 2020, this time tested multiple survey methods across four priority KNP management areas. "There's been a lot of interest in the way in which we count the horses and there's been a lot of conjecture about that," Ms Sharpe said. "For us [it's] about constantly refining and improving the way in which we can get as accurate a count as we can. "But also trying to compare year on year so that we're looking at the same method over a period of time." Its usual "standard distance sampling" method, which captures horse activity from two aerial observers attached to an aircraft, estimated from 1,766 to 4,050 horses remained in the park's retention zones. This time around another method called the "mark recapture distance sampling method" was also trialled. It added a third aerial observer at the front of the aircraft and estimated that the population in the same areas to lie between 2,373 and 5,717. A thermal imaging survey was also conducted but is still undergoing an extensive peer-review process. Ms Sharpe admitted it was difficult to get a single number best estimate of the population and hoped the range could be narrowed in coming years. "Trying to get an accurate number, particularly in the kind of terrain that is Kosciuszko National Park, is really challenging," she said. "I think we will always have a range and we'll keep going with that as we improve survey methods, particularly as the horses are mostly in the retention areas rather than spread out across the park." More than 9,000 horses were removed from the park between 2021 and April 30, 2025, with two-thirds of those killed by aerial shooting, a method adopted in October 2023. "But the large efforts … of the last 12 to 18 months is not going to be needed anymore because the numbers have come down." Aerial shooting is currently on pause and environment minister did not confirm when the method would recommence. She said the state government would now focus on stabilising the population that included looking into a reproductive control trial. "National Parks [and Wildlife Service] is beginning to be able to look at this, about how we would trial this and really start to test it," she said. "We're not there yet, but the preparatory work is being done on that and I'm pleased."
ABC News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Petition seeking to scrap heritage value of brumbies debated in NSW parliament
Some NSW politicians say a bid to scrap a bill protecting the heritage value of wild horse populations in the NSW Snowy Mountains is "not off the table". A debate took place in NSW parliament in Sydney on Thursday afternoon, prompted by an 11,300-signature petition calling for the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018 to be repealed. The Act, also known as the Brumby Bill, recognises and protects the heritage of wild horses in the park. It has shaped the Kosciuszko Wild Heritage Management Plan, which must reduce the thousands of horses in the park to 3,000 by June 2027 using various methods, including aerial shooting. Independent Member for Wagga Wagga Joe McGirr, whose electorate includes the NSW Snowy Mountains, said he wanted the Brumby Bill scrapped, and backed the petition in parliament. "The Wild Horse Heritage Act has the bizarre effect of supporting an introduced species in a national park over and above the native animals and plants," he said. "In environmental terms, this Act cannot be justified. Member for Bankstown Jihad Dib, who spoke as a representative of the NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe, said the state government would not pursue a repeal and would continue to focus on meeting the 2027 target. "The NSW government does not, therefore, consider pursuing repeal of the Kosciuszko Wild Horse Heritage Act 2018 to be a priority at this time," Mr Dib said. However, Labor's Member for Blue Mountains, Trisha Lee Doyle, suggested a repeal would be possible. "My understanding is that this request, put on your behalf by the Member for Wagga Wagga, is not off the table," she said. Labor's Member for Monaro, Steve Whan, whose electorate shares the Snowy Mountains, echoed the sentiment. "I think we will eventually get to the repeal of this legislation," he said. Liberal's Member for Manly, James Griffin, and Green's Member for Balmain, Kobi Shetty, also spoke in support of the petition. Nearly 100 supporters of scrapping the 2018 Act came to watch the 30-minute debate. Many had signed the petition led by Canberra resident and Invasive Species Council volunteer, Linda Groom, and gathered in 50 different locations in NSW over a 10-month period in 2024. Ms Groom said she wanted there to be no horses in the park. She said she had hoped Labor would make a "clearer commitment" but was buoyed by some of the cross-party support on the topic. "Labor said it was not a priority at this time … but they also said it was on the table," she said. "We're thinking, with a bit more work, it will happen." Australian Brumby Alliance president Nikki Alberts has expressed doubts about what would happen to the horses if a repeal occurred, and that animal welfare was a priority. "I want to see something in place that repealing the bill doesn't mean they go in an aerial cull them," she said. "I want to see a management plan moving forward, whether the bill's repealed or not, where people can work together, rather than parks and the government shutting us out." It was estimated in October 2023 that the population of brumbies in the park had reached between 12,000 and 21,000. In March, NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe indicated that between 3,000 and 4,000 wild horses remained in Kosciuszko National Park. The peer-reviewed survey of that count, conducted in 2024, is yet to be published, much to Ms Alberts' concern. "How do they know they're on track when they can't actually release the numbers to us," she said.
ABC News
14-05-2025
- ABC News
NSW national parks proposal to standardise camping fees amid rise in 'ghost camping'
David Bell thinks it is a "good thing" for people to spend time bushwalking, but he fears a proposal to overhaul camping fees in national parks in New South Wales — some by as much as 600 per cent — will put it out of reach of many. A camping trip is sometimes the only affordable escape for those on a tight budget, but Mr Bell, who is president of Bushwalking NSW, said a proposal to "standardise" the cost system in National Parks and Wildlife Service's (NPWS) 365 campgrounds was "excessive". "National parks [are] special places," he said. A consultation paper released last month outlines the first "significant" change to the NPWS fee system since 2017. The proposal would see campgrounds priced according to a tiered system, which would see some prices increase — notably during peak seasons. In the NSW Snowy Mountains, the Thredbo Diggings campground would see its current $6 booking fee increase to a peak season charge of $36 a night. "We're broadly supportive; the tier structure makes it a bit more clear what you're paying for and what you're getting," Mr Bell said. However, Mr Bell said some of the prices seemed "rather excessive". Mr Bell said it was also unreasonable that NPWS classified "multi-day" hike camping spots as tier-four sites. "Like the Great North Walk between Sydney and Newcastle. There are sites that have toilets and water, but there are other sites that are just a space on the ground," he said. "I don't think it's feasible to charge all of these sites at the same tier level. "There's a bit of inconsistency there that NPWS needs to address." The "Have Your Say" webpage for the proposal states the changes aim to bring consistency to fees, simplify bookings to deliver "fairer" camping experiences for visitors, and improve management of "persistent campground issues such as people booking space and not cancelling or turning up" — known as ghost camping. The term also refers to people booking more sites than they need. "The best way to tackle it is to have reasonable fees for going camping so that people think twice about booking too much," NPWS director of visitor engagement and revenue Georgia Rivers said. Under the proposed system, people will also be able to receive refunds up to 80 per cent if they cancel their booking in advance. Adventurer and author Mike Atkinson raised concerns about the "high" fees during the cost-of-living crisis. "All you need is a very simple place to camp and — for everybody's sakes — access to a pit toilet. That should be a very small cost," he said. Mr Atkinson suggested a better solution would be to increase the number of campsites to meet demand. "You've got to build the infrastructure so it's not crowded out," he said. "But the [NPWS] are running it like a business: 'We won't improve what we've got; we'll just charge more for it.'" NPWS said it would reinvest revenue from campsite charges back into national parks. Public consultation on the new fee plan will close May 25.
