Latest news with #MichaelAtkinson
Perth Now
03-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
Camping ‘more expensive than renting house'
A proposal to increase camping fees in NSW national parks would make camping more expensive than renting a house. The NSW government has proposed introducing a six tier system that would make the rate fro some campgrounds as much as $97 a night or $679 a week, compared to a three bedroom home that can be rented for $600 a week. Filmmaker Michael Atkinson made the point in a social media video he shared from the Woody Head Camping Area in the Bundjalung National Park on the NSW North Coast. 'You can rent a three-bedroom house (down the road) with garage for $600, so it's almost $100 cheaper to rent a three-bedroom house with garage outside the park, as opposed to a small patch of grass here in the park,' Mr Atkinson said in the video 'I counted 89 campsites on this map, that is revenue raising of $55,000 a week just for this campground, excluding the money that they make from cabins.' In 2023-24, about 1.8 million people stayed overnight at 365 campgrounds located in national parks across NSW. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service developed a proposal 'to make camping fairer' for visitors and address issues when people did not show up, known as 'ghost bookings.' A tiered camping fee system was developed with pricing based on services, facilities and seasonal demand. A NPWS spokesman said more than 23,000 submissions were received during the consultation period. 'The NPWS invited feedback on a proposed model to introduce a more consistent and simplified statewide camping fee and booking system for the 365 campgrounds across NSW national parks,' a spokesman said. 'No decisions have been made on the proposal. 'NPWS will advise the public on the next steps once feedback has been considered.' Mr Atkinson told NewsWire that before Covid booking systems were used for high use campgrounds, and about 70 per cent of campgrounds in NSW national parks were free. He said a booking system was introduced to manage the infectious disease and it only cost $6, but because bookings were so cheap campsites would be booked out months in advance, then people would not show up. Mr Atkinson said the government's solution to prevent 'ghost bookings' was to jack up the prices, but the proposed hike would stop low income earners from being able to afford camping and discourage young people from heading out. 'For people like me, you feel ripped off that you're going to a public space in a park that we own, and paying what I think is a significant amount of money just to camp on our own land effectively,' he said. Mr Atkinson said a better solution would be to increase the number of campgrounds that were available at the sites which would increase grass space and remove undergrowth that clogged national parks. Proposed fees in NSW national parks would make some locations about $679 a week to camp. Image: NSW Government Credit: Supplied Mr Atkinson started an epetition to let the NSW government know how many people were against the proposal. The petition titled Keep camping affordable for all Australians in NSW National Parks has already received support from more than 7600 people. He also has support from the Nationals and people living outside of NSW who have been contacting the NSW environment minister directly. Opposition tourism spokesman Kevin Anderson said in a statement the decision would put some of NSW's most-treasured natural assets behind a paywall in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. 'When I asked the Minister for Tourism about this in Question Time last month, he refused to acknowledge the issue, despite the heavy impact it will have on the tourism sector by deterring people from wanting to camp in our National Parks,' he said. 'The Minns Labor government needs to go back to the drawing board and find better ways to save money than hitting hardworking families who are just looking to get out and enjoy nature.' Scott Barrett MLC said National Parks should be more accessible for everyone. 'This proposal will put camping out of reach for many families and that's why I believe it's important to support Outback Mike with this petition,' he said. 'Some of my favourite moments have been spent with my family in our state's iconic national parks and limiting those experiences for other families based on cost is extremely frustrating.'
West Australian
03-06-2025
- West Australian
Man starts petition after proposal to jack up campsite rates in one Aussie state
A proposal to increase camping fees in NSW national parks would make camping more expensive than renting a house. The NSW government has proposed introducing a six tier system that would make the rate fro some campgrounds as much as $97 a night or $679 a week, compared to a three bedroom home that can be rented for $600 a week. Filmmaker Michael Atkinson made the point in a social media video he shared from the Woody Head Camping Area in the Bundjalung National Park on the NSW North Coast. 'You can rent a three-bedroom house (down the road) with garage for $600, so it's almost $100 cheaper to rent a three-bedroom house with garage outside the park, as opposed to a small patch of grass here in the park,' Mr Atkinson said in the video 'I counted 89 campsites on this map, that is revenue raising of $55,000 a week just for this campground, excluding the money that they make from cabins.' In 2023-24, about 1.8 million people stayed overnight at 365 campgrounds located in national parks across NSW. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service developed a proposal 'to make camping fairer' for visitors and address issues when people did not show up, known as 'ghost bookings.' A tiered camping fee system was developed with pricing based on services, facilities and seasonal demand. A NPWS spokesman said more than 23,000 submissions were received during the consultation period. 'The NPWS invited feedback on a proposed model to introduce a more consistent and simplified statewide camping fee and booking system for the 365 campgrounds across NSW national parks,' a spokesman said. 'No decisions have been made on the proposal. 'NPWS will advise the public on the next steps once feedback has been considered.' Mr Atkinson told NewsWire that before Covid booking systems were used for high use campgrounds, and about 70 per cent of campgrounds in NSW national parks were free. He said a booking system was introduced to manage the infectious disease and it only cost $6, but because bookings were so cheap campsites would be booked out months in advance, then people would not show up. Mr Atkinson said the government's solution to prevent 'ghost bookings' was to jack up the prices, but the proposed hike would stop low income earners from being able to afford camping and discourage young people from heading out. 'For people like me, you feel ripped off that you're going to a public space in a park that we own, and paying what I think is a significant amount of money just to camp on our own land effectively,' he said. Mr Atkinson said a better solution would be to increase the number of campgrounds that were available at the sites which would increase grass space and remove undergrowth that clogged national parks. Mr Atkinson started an epetition to let the NSW government know how many people were against the proposal. The petition titled Keep camping affordable for all Australians in NSW National Parks has already received support from more than 7600 people. He also has support from the Nationals and people living outside of NSW who have been contacting the NSW environment minister directly. Opposition tourism spokesman Kevin Anderson said in a statement the decision would put some of NSW's most-treasured natural assets behind a paywall in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. 'When I asked the Minister for Tourism about this in Question Time last month, he refused to acknowledge the issue, despite the heavy impact it will have on the tourism sector by deterring people from wanting to camp in our National Parks,' he said. 'The Minns Labor government needs to go back to the drawing board and find better ways to save money than hitting hardworking families who are just looking to get out and enjoy nature.' Scott Barrett MLC said National Parks should be more accessible for everyone. 'This proposal will put camping out of reach for many families and that's why I believe it's important to support Outback Mike with this petition,' he said. 'Some of my favourite moments have been spent with my family in our state's iconic national parks and limiting those experiences for other families based on cost is extremely frustrating.'
News.com.au
03-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Man starts petition after proposal to jack up campsite rates in one Aussie state
A proposal to increase camping fees in NSW national parks would make camping more expensive than renting a house. The NSW government has proposed introducing a six tier system that would make the rate fro some campgrounds as much as $97 a night or $679 a week, compared to a three bedroom home that can be rented for $600 a week. Filmmaker Michael Atkinson made the point in a social media video he shared from the Woody Head Camping Area in the Bundjalung National Park on the NSW North Coast. 'You can rent a three-bedroom house (down the road) with garage for $600, so it's almost $100 cheaper to rent a three-bedroom house with garage outside the park, as opposed to a small patch of grass here in the park,' Mr Atkinson said in the video 'I counted 89 campsites on this map, that is revenue raising of $55,000 a week just for this campground, excluding the money that they make from cabins.' In 2023-24, about 1.8 million people stayed overnight at 365 campgrounds located in national parks across NSW. The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service developed a proposal 'to make camping fairer' for visitors and address issues when people did not show up, known as 'ghost bookings.' A tiered camping fee system was developed with pricing based on services, facilities and seasonal demand. A NPWS spokesman said more than 23,000 submissions were received during the consultation period. 'The NPWS invited feedback on a proposed model to introduce a more consistent and simplified statewide camping fee and booking system for the 365 campgrounds across NSW national parks,' a spokesman said. 'No decisions have been made on the proposal. 'NPWS will advise the public on the next steps once feedback has been considered.' Mr Atkinson told NewsWire that before Covid booking systems were used for high use campgrounds, and about 70 per cent of campgrounds in NSW national parks were free. He said a booking system was introduced to manage the infectious disease and it only cost $6, but because bookings were so cheap campsites would be booked out months in advance, then people would not show up. Mr Atkinson said the government's solution to prevent 'ghost bookings' was to jack up the prices, but the proposed hike would stop low income earners from being able to afford camping and discourage young people from heading out. 'For people like me, you feel ripped off that you're going to a public space in a park that we own, and paying what I think is a significant amount of money just to camp on our own land effectively,' he said. Mr Atkinson said a better solution would be to increase the number of campgrounds that were available at the sites which would increase grass space and remove undergrowth that clogged national parks. Mr Atkinson started an epetition to let the NSW government know how many people were against the proposal. The petition titled Keep camping affordable for all Australians in NSW National Parks has already received support from more than 7600 people. He also has support from the Nationals and people living outside of NSW who have been contacting the NSW environment minister directly. Opposition tourism spokesman Kevin Anderson said in a statement the decision would put some of NSW's most-treasured natural assets behind a paywall in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis. 'When I asked the Minister for Tourism about this in Question Time last month, he refused to acknowledge the issue, despite the heavy impact it will have on the tourism sector by deterring people from wanting to camp in our National Parks,' he said. 'The Minns Labor government needs to go back to the drawing board and find better ways to save money than hitting hardworking families who are just looking to get out and enjoy nature.' Scott Barrett MLC said National Parks should be more accessible for everyone. 'This proposal will put camping out of reach for many families and that's why I believe it's important to support Outback Mike with this petition,' he said. 'Some of my favourite moments have been spent with my family in our state's iconic national parks and limiting those experiences for other families based on cost is extremely frustrating.'
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Concern over future of 103-year-old Walton-on-Thames bowling green
A 103-year-old Surrey bowling green could be destroyed and members forced to move to another Borough Council (EBC) is looking to continue negotiations into potentially selling the historic Walton-on-Thames bowling green to make way for a new, state-of-the-art NHS have described the offer as a "once in a generation opportunity" to provide a central health hub for people in the officers told EBC's Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday that they were continuing conversations with the club to find them a new home. EBC Cabinet members had agreed to give the NHS the right to buy part of Elm Grove recreational ground on 30 local NHS team hopes to move from its current home at Walton Community Hospital in Rodney Road to this new and Hinchley Wood Residents' Association member Janet Turner said her main concern was that the council would sign Elm Grove away without any concrete agreement from the the council had promised to rebuild the bowling green elsewhere in the borough but realised creating a new centre would be extortionate, according to the Local Democracy Reporting John Cope said that according to officers' notes, there were no viable relocation options for the club as none of the land owned by the council was suitable for a bowling Atkinson, treasurer of the Walton-on-Thames Bowling Club, previously said it would be "an awful shame" to "wipe away" the club's 103-year decisions have been made but officers and members agreed to continue to look at negotiating a deal for the proposed health centre. A spokesperson for North West Surrey Alliance, a partnership of local councils and NHS organisations, previously said the site provided an opportunity for the area to "have a first class health infrastructure and receive integrated health services".
Perth Now
28-05-2025
- Climate
- Perth Now
Motorist stranded for 26 hours in flood zone
Record-breaking floods have submerged the Pacific Highway near Taree for nearly five days, leaving one motorist stranded and unable to get back home for 26 hours. A 20km stretch between Coopernook and South Taree was closed, forcing motorists like Michael Atkinson to undertake arduous detours last Wednesday. Flood waters left many motorists isolated earlier on the NSW Mid-North Coast in May. NewsWire handout/ Transport NSW Credit: NewsWire Mr Atkinson's journey from Maclean to Nelson Bay extended to 26 hours due to the closures. 'I found out there was a road closure when I got within 10km of Taree,' he told the ABC. 'It took me 26 hours to get home, driving north, camping in Glen Innes, and then driving all the way inland and up through the Hunter Valley.' These severe disruptions highlighted the region's vulnerability to extreme weather events. The MidCoast Council estimates the financial impact of the highway closure at approximately $29m, taking into account diverted traffic and disrupted supply routes. But motorists said the confusion and a lack of clear, accurate information about closures and detours made the highway shutdown even more disruptive. The NSW MidCoast Council estimates the financial impact of the highway closure at approximately $29m. NewsWire Handout/ Transport NSW Credit: NewsWire The Pacific Highway is a major supply route for the entire north coast of NSW, and Transport for NSW estimates that more than 26,000 vehicles use the Pacific Highway near Taree everyday with 80 per cent of them being cars and 20 per cent being trucks. Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said on Monday people needed to be mindful when driving in challenging conditions. 'LiveTraffic doesn't tell anyone to go anywhere,' Ms Aitchison said. 'Everyone's doing their best but it's a difficult situation because no matter what somebody saw 10 minutes before they went in to update LiveTraffic, it can change in an instant. 'It's a challenging situation and I'll be looking at what we can do better next time.' The recent floods have also resulted in significant human and economic tolls across the state. At least four fatalities have been reported, with nearly 50,000 residents isolated due to inundated roads. Emergency services have conducted over 675 rescues, and the Insurance Council of Australia has received more than 1,600 claims related to flood damage.
