NSW: 90 wildlife jobs in southern NSW

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2000
NSW: 90 wildlife jobs in southern NSW

SYDNEY, April 26 AAP - Ninety National Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) jobs have
been created in southern New South Wales to help manage 324,000 hectares of new forestry
reserves.

Environment Minister Bob Debus announced the NPWS positions for the Tumut and south
coast areas as part of the southern forestry decision.

The jobs package would see the new protection areas at Lake Conjola, Murramarang and
the Five Lakes were professionally managed for visitors and the environment's sake.

One priority will be improving the access to the newly protected areas with walking
tracks, toilet facilities and picnic tables.

"More than a million people visit the parks and reserves of southern New South Wales
each year and spend a significant amount of money during their stay," Mr Debus said.

The park ranger, field officer and specialist positions - such as scientists and Aboriginal
cultural heritage officers - would be phased in over the next two years.

Mr Debus also assured timber workers that no job would be lost as a result of government
decisions in the Tumut region.

"I want to assure any timber workers affected by commercial decisions by mill owners
that they will be looked after," he said in a statement.

He said as with Eden and the northern forestry agreements, a number of positions would
be set aside in the National Parks and Wildlife Services jobs package for displaced timber
workers.

"Additionally there is the $120 million Forestry Industry Structural Assistance Package
which provides opportunities for retraining, relocation or redundancy."

Mr Debus said the new NPWS jobs would be located in areas such as Nowra, Ulladulla,
Queanbeyan, Narooma, Jindabyne, Khancoban and Tumut.

AAP alt/cjh/

KEYWORD: JOBS

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