Keep National Parks Open to Everyone

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Submission on Proposed Changes to NSW National Parks Camping Fees

We thank the NSW Government and NPWS for the opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed changes to the National Parks camping and accommodation fee structure. We recognise the growing pressure on public lands and the critical importance of ensuring our National Parks remain accessible, resilient, and well-managed. However, we strongly oppose the proposed fee increases and tiered pricing model. These changes risk undermining the very public benefit that National Parks are intended to provide.

1. National Parks Must Remain Equitably Accessible
The fundamental purpose of National Parks is the conservation of nature and the enjoyment of natural and cultural heritage by all members of the public. Introducing high nightly fees—up to $89 per campsite in some cases—shifts the emphasis from public stewardship to user-pays commercialisation. This contradicts the principle that access to nature is a public good, not a premium service.

2. Rebuttal of Government Justifications
Facilities-based Pricing: The proposal to scale fees based on amenities reinforces inequality. Clean toilets, water access, and picnic shelters are basic expectations for safe public spaces—not luxuries that should come at a premium. In areas where these services are incompatible due to ecological, cultural or infrastructure reasons, people will still choose that experience for personal reasons other than cost.
System Simplification: While removing booking and per-person charges might appear simpler, replacing them with a flat rate unfairly burdens solo travellers, couples, and those with less financial flexibility. It is not simplification if it results in exclusion.
Managing Demand via Pricing: Using higher costs to “manage demand” amounts to pricing people out. If overcrowding is a concern, the solution lies in expanding accessibility to protected areas and the natural and cultural values that they have—not restricting access to only those who can pay.
Ghost Bookings and Refunds: Addressing ghost bookings is valid, but should be solved through smarter systems (such as waitlists, automated reminders, or flexible modifications), not by increasing fees across the board.
Seasonal Pricing: Demand-based seasonal pricing unfairly penalises families, workers, and school-aged children who can only travel during holidays or weekends. National Parks should be designed for social inclusion, not economic filtering.
Revenue for Maintenance: Core public infrastructure should be funded through general revenue, not on a cost-recovery basis. Park access is not a discretionary service—it is a societal asset that should be preserved and strengthened by government investment.
Fairness of Flat Rates: A single high nightly fee is not inherently fair. True fairness comes from affordability, transparency, and inclusive design—not uniformity of price.
Modernisation Argument: Modernisation should mean resilience, equity, and conservation—not monetisation. This fee overhaul risks setting a precedent where public land access is commodified under the guise of reform.

3. Our Alternative Vision: Expand Access, Don’t Restrict It
Rather than increasing the cost of visiting existing campsites, the Government should take this opportunity to expand the area protected under the National Parks and protected area network. By creating more reserves, especially in regions close to population centres and key travel routes, the Government can address capacity concerns without pricing out visitors.

We urge the Government to:
A. Invest in the creation and proper resourcing of new National Parks, particularly in ecologically significant areas underrepresented in the current reserve system.

B. Ensure all parks maintain at least some free or low-cost camping options for community access.

C. Fund maintenance and infrastructure through the state budget, recognising that park access is a public service.

D. Improve digital infrastructure and booking flexibility to reduce ghost bookings without resorting to punitive fee models.

4. Final Remarks
The public should not be forced to bear the cost of accessing land that belongs to them. NSW’s National Parks are among the state’s most valuable and cherished public assets. They must remain places where all people—regardless of income or circumstance—can camp, explore, and connect with the natural world.

We call on the NSW Government to abandon the proposed fee increases and pursue a strategy that builds capacity, enhances public access, and strengthens ecological protection—without undermining the right to nature.

Keep National Parks Open to Everyone

The NSW Government wants to introduce a major overhaul of how we pay to access public National Parks - and it’s not good news for campers or conservation.

Under a new “tiered pricing” system, nightly camping fees could rise as high as $89 per night. The changes are being promoted as fairer, more modern, and better aligned with facilities - but they fundamentally miss the point of what National Parks are for.

If these changes happen, visitors to these public areas could increase from $47 per night to $89 per night - that’s nearly double, for every night camping.

This is public land. These are shared spaces meant to protect nature and provide people - all people - a chance to connect with Country, with wildlife, and with each other. Instead, the Government is proposing a system that puts a price tag on basic experiences in nature.

The Government says it's simplifying the system, discouraging ghost bookings, and managing demand. But none of these problems are solved by pricing families and young people out of the park. They’re solved by better technology, more options, and stronger public investment.

We’re calling for an alternative:

Scrap the price hikes
Keep Parks accessible
Expand the protected area network
Invest in free and low-cost camping options

Let’s make sure our public lands stay public - open to all, not just those who can afford the fee.

Keep National Parks Open to Everyone

Make a Submission

Keep National Parks Open to Everyone

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