NSW national parks bill passes parliament after controversial elements removed

The NSW parliament has passed a bill on laws governing national parks after the Perrottet government agreed to remove some of the most controversial elements.

The passage of the bill on Tuesday night means necessary changes to legislation to expand the Gardens of Stone national park can occur.

The bill also introduced improvements to ecological monitoring and protection of environmentally sensitive areas across the parks system.

She said stripping out the proposal to allow national parks to supply biodiversity offsets was appropriate at a time when the offsets scheme was subject to multiple inquiries as a result of a Guardian Australia investigation.

A plan to establish a fund to accept private donations for parks was also agreed, but with limitations on where the money can go. This ensures the fund does not become a means for funding day-to-day government work to run the conservation system.

Cate Faehrmann, environment spokesperson for the NSW Greens, said the expansion of the Gardens of Stone national park was the result of decades of work by dedicated environmental campaigners.

The independent MP Justin Field said the government had listened to concerns about the initial bill.