15 Oct GOVERNMENT TURNS BLIND EYE AS PRISTINE LAND DECAYS INTO WASTELAND

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Leader and Member for Traeger Robbie Katter has sounded the alarm over the deteriorating state of Dalrymple National Park and the adjacent Fletcher Creek Camping Area in Charters Towers.

Once a pristine natural attraction for locals and tourists alike, the park is now being overrun by noxious weeds and feral animals, threatening both the environment and local tourism.

“Dalrymple National Park used to be a jewel in the crown for Charters Towers’s natural beauty,” Mr Katter said.

“My office in Charters Towers has received many complaints from both locals and visitors about the once-pristine park that has now been overtaken by noxious weeds and plagued by feral animals, which has encroached upon the Fletcher Creek Camping area.

“The deteriorating condition of the Dalrymple National Park and Fletcher Creek Camping Area is discouraging tourists, threatening an important revenue stream for the Charters Towers region.”

“The Government has done nothing but watch the environmental degradation which is now tarnishing the reputation of these popular sites.”

Local resident, Mr Tony Philo, has lived in Charters Towers all his life and is deeply disappointed to see the deteriorating state the national park is in.

“I have spent countless hours in that area. It used to be grazing land and a great place to go fishing, swimming, and camping. Since it has been taken over by national parks, it is overgrown with noxious weeds, wallabies, pigs, and dingoes. I wouldn’t pay to go camping there in the condition it is now,” he said.

The KAP has consistently called on the state government for greater investment in the maintenance of national parks, including increased funding for weed and pest control and fire management. They believe an even more effective solution is leaving the land in the capable hands of private pastoral landholders.

“Private landholders, who have managed these lands for generations, have proven far more capable of protecting our environment than a government that’s more interested in acquiring new land than maintaining what it already owns,” the Member for Traeger said.

Mr Katter pointed out the Government neglect doesn’t just threaten the environment—it’s an economic issue too.

“The state government is a terrible neighbour. Properties adjacent to the park are trying to stop the same threats that are born on neglected national park land – often with no financial support from the Government.,” Mr Katter said.

The KAP remains resolute in their commitment to hold the Government accountable.

“North Queensland deserves better than a government that is content to let its natural treasures go to waste. If you don’t have the resources or the commitment to maintain our national parks properly, leave it to those who do,” Mr Katter said.

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