Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026

Mr NATHAN HAGARTY ( Leppington ) ( 16:04 :33 ): I speak in support of the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026. I joined the Joint Select Committee on the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust towards the end of its inquiry. I commend those members who were there from the start for their hard work. They visited sites and spoke with many stakeholders. A lot of the recommendations in their report have informed this bill that will help to ensure that the Greater Sydney Parklands remain protected, accessible and—importantly—financially sustainable for future generations.

Parklands are not just recreational spaces. I am sure all members listened to my private member's statement last night, when I spoke about open space and sporting and recreational facilities as important social infrastructure. They are environmental, cultural and community assets that we should look after and try to make the best we possibly can. The reforms in the bill modernise the legislation around the parklands while keeping public ownership and benefit at the centre of decision-making. I know that is a bit of a problem for members opposite, given their obsession with privatisation. The bill provides a clearer framework for the long-term management of the parklands. As a bit of a history lesson, a number of parks in the Sydney region were brought under the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust, but the various incumbent rules, statutes and regulations that looked after each of them were inconsistent. The bill goes some way to ensuring consistency when looking after those parks. A big part of the committee report that informed the bill responds to a wide range of community feedback. The review process included extensive consultation with community groups, environmental organisations, heritage advocates and, most importantly, local residents.

As a frequent user of Western Sydney Parklands, which runs right through my electorate, I have been very vocal about this in my time as an MP and previously as a local councillor and as a resident. During COVID, when the previous Government decided that the people of south-west Sydney would be locked down in five-kilometre zones through the use of helicopters and troops, the only place that I could reasonably go for a walk to feel like I was outside the suburbs and in nature was Shale Hills in Western Sydney Parklands. It was the same for many thousands of people. For many, it is incredibly important to have a sanctuary down the road as a place to get away. I am a passionate advocate and supporter of Western Sydney Parklands. Financial sustainability is an important pillar of the bill. Inherent to the reforms is the need to ensure that we can improve the parklands into the future. The reforms help ensure that the parklands trust can continue to invest in maintenance, infrastructure and community facilities. The bill will streamline leasing and administrative processes and improve efficiency while maintaining oversight and public accountability. The bill supports better long-term planning for growing communities across Western Sydney.

As I mentioned, the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust was effectively made up of an amalgam of a number of parks. The reforms will further modernise their management and standardise inconsistencies. That will go a long way towards an admirable goal that I think has bipartisan support: the blue-green grid across Sydney. It would be a wonderful thing if people could eventually traverse the north, south and west of our great city through a blue‑green grid. We could stroll along the Parramatta River, go up and down different paths and be able to get all around. The bill and the parklands trust are key to that, and the bill makes important reforms to help achieve that admirable goal.

A lot of the submissions also looked at heritage and community value. They highlighted the importance of preserving historic and culturally significant sites across the parklands network. Most notably, Parramatta Park and Callan Park have important historical and community value. Anyone who has been to Parramatta Park will know that it is a beautiful piece of history. Madam Temporary Speaker, you would know more about that than any other member in this place. I am a big fan of Parramatta Park, and it is important that we preserve its historical importance as well as its place in the Parramatta precinct. It is much like the Shale Hills Parklands that I mentioned earlier where, amongst the hustle and bustle of Parramatta, you can walk down the road and be amongst nature, get some fresh air and hug a tree if that is what you like to do. The reforms provide a clearer framework for balancing activation of spaces with heritage conservation. Open spaces remain essential to community wellbeing, recreation and social connection.

I finish by talking about the specific benefits of Western Sydney Parklands to my part of the world, in particular the part of the parklands in Leppington. For Western Sydney Parklands, the wisdom has essentially been to develop them from the north down to the south. There has been a lot of enhancement and embellishment around the Blacktown part of the parklands. They have the zoo, the Western Sydney Wanderers training fields, Bungarribee Park and all those places. In the Fairfield bit, there are some wonderful parks, including Plough and Harrow, the Dairy and Lizard Log. They are great facilities. In fact, as my kids were growing up, we had quite a few birthday parties in the parklands.

Mr Stephen Bali: In Lizard Log.

Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: We had my son's second birthday at Lizard Log. It is a great place; you can go for a great stroll. In fact, we love the parklands so much in my part of the world that we have been known to have a few Labor Party end-of-year Christmas parties at Plough and Harrow. The invite to members opposite is in the mail. Sadly, that embellishment has been a bit lagging in the Liverpool section, which covers my electorate of Leppington. But I have been working with Josh French and the guys at the parklands to ensure that we make some investment there. That is critical to my community for the simple fact that, as in many other respects, Liverpool City Council has dropped the ball when it comes to delivering open space and parks in suburbs like Austral. A lot of people have to go to the parklands, which is why they are critically important. Given that the council has dropped the ball, I am happy to work with the Minister and ensure that we have great open space in Leppington and we look after parklands.

As population growth continues across Leppington, access to quality green space will become even more important for local families and the community. The Western Sydney Parklands corridor through Leppington is an important green spine that must continue to be protected and enhanced alongside future development. Supporting the bill helps ensure that communities in south-western Sydney continue to benefit from accessible and well-managed parklands for many generations to come. This is not in my notes, but I want to make one point very clear.

Mr Stephen Bali: Was any of it in your notes?

Mr NATHAN HAGARTY: I am reading from notes; you would not have known. I made this feedback very clear in the committee, and I know the Minister has made sure that it is the case in the bill. I would not like to see Western Sydney Parklands effectively become a cash cow for the other parks. Development is allowed and has been done in bits and pieces, and the revenue from that funds maintenance and upkeep. I would be very disappointed—and this a warning to those opposite, if the voters ever decide to let them back into government—to see Western Sydney Parklands in the future become a cash cow for places like Callan Park, Centennial Park and others. It is very important that, if we allow embellishment and commercial activity in a park, that money stays for the most part in that park. I have made those views very clear. All in all, I am very happy with the reform. I look forward to seeing each and every member in Western Sydney Parklands, walking through Lizard Log, the Dairy, Bungarribee and Shale Hills—and even in Parramatta Park. I commend the bill to the House.

TEMPORARY SPEAKER ( Ms Donna Davis ): I thank the member for Leppington. We will see him in Wisteria Gardens.

Mr MARK HODGES ( C astle Hill ) ( 16:14 :17 ): On behalf of the Opposition, I indicate that we support the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026. The Opposition considers that the bill will deliver sensible reforms while ensuring that Sydney's parklands remain in public hands. I also speak as a member of this House who served on the Joint Select Committee on the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust. I note the contribution of the member for Leppington and note that you, Madam Temporary Speaker, were also on the committee. The committee heard evidence on 13 March and 14 March 2025 from various people. I will not go through them. The member for Leppington has already done that, so I will just adopt what he said about the number of submissions we received.

The Greater Sydney Parklands Trust oversees some of the most significant and cherished green spaces in our State. Those parklands are not just areas of open land; they are places where communities gather, where families spend time together, where sport is played and where people can connect with nature in the middle of a large and fast-growing metropolis. The bill seeks to implement the Government's response to the statutory review of the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Act 2022. In doing so, it makes a number of changes to the governance and operational framework of the trust. At its core, the bill attempts to address a challenge that is becoming increasingly important for major metropolitan parklands across the world: ensuring that those spaces remain financially sustainable while preserving their essential public character.

The amendments proposed in the bill seek to improve the implementation of the Act's objectives and ensure greater consistency across associated legislation. They also seek to streamline provisions relating to leases, licences and tendering processes, which should help the trust operate with greater efficiency and clarity. Importantly, the bill also expands the trust's ability to pursue appropriate commercial leasing and development opportunities within parklands. The bill does not allow for the sale of parklands. The continued public ownership of these spaces remains protected. However, the bill recognises that limited and carefully managed commercial activity can, and should, play a role in supporting the long-term maintenance and activation of these spaces. Cafes, cultural facilities, community events and other appropriate uses can help ensure that parklands remain vibrant, accessible and financially sustainable for the future.

In addition, the bill clarifies governance arrangements and introduces changes relating to consultation with community trustee boards. Under those amendments, the trust will still be required to consult community trustee boards, but it will no longer require their formal approval for certain decisions. While that change may improve administrative efficiency, it is important that consultation with local communities remains genuine and meaningful. Parklands belong to the people of New South Wales, and those who live near and use those spaces must continue to have a real voice in their future.

The bill also makes specific amendments relating to Callan Park. Those changes seek to clarify the legislation and allow for improvements to the public domain, which will hopefully support better access and enhanced amenity for the community. Finally, and fundamentally, the bill recognises that Sydney is a growing city. As housing growth and increased density continue across Greater Sydney, access to high-quality green space is more important than ever. Major metropolitan parklands will increasingly play a vital role in maintaining the liveability of our city. It is vital that we ensure that those spaces are well managed, financially sustainable and capable of supporting these growing communities.

In 2020, when the Coalition was in government, we introduced our 50-year Vision for Sydney's Open Space and Parklands. That was aimed at creating a connected network of parklands, protecting environmental and heritage values, and improving public access and recreational opportunities. The bill is consistent with the positions we have held on this issue, and we are glad to put politics aside and work with the Government to pass these changes for which we have long advocated. Public parklands are long-term public assets. Their governance must therefore remain transparent, accountable and subject to appropriate democratic oversight so that they can be maintained and enjoyed by New South Wales residents for generations to come. On behalf of the Opposition, I commend the bill to the House.

Mr STEPHEN BALI ( Blacktown ) ( 16:18 :51 ): I support the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026, introduced by Minister Scully. In his second reading speech, he outlined its importance for the future of Greater Sydney's parklands, not only for their continued protection and improvement but also, crucially, for their long-term sustainability. From my perspective, long-term sustainability balances a complex relationship between the various elements and operations of the parks. Each of the parklands located within the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust has a different history in its formation, use and eventual allocation to the trust. Each is unique in its own way, and the historical heritage of each parkland, where possible, ought to be supported. Grounds need to be accessible to the general public, the natural environment needs to be enhanced and the built environment needs to enhance the features of the parklands.

Whilst I will focus on the long-term financial sustainability that will be assisted by the bill, it is part of the bigger picture of all the other interrelated factors previously discussed that add to the success of Greater Sydney's parklands. For people across Sydney, our parklands are part of everyday life. They are where families walk, kids play sport, people exercise, park runs operate, community events are held and many of us go to relax and switch off. When parklands are well maintained, people notice. When facilities are run down or buildings are left empty, people notice that too. A joint select committee review highlighted that funding pressures were affecting the trust's ability to meet its objectives. These are large, complex public estates with ageing infrastructure and heritage buildings that require specialised maintenance. They are receiving an increase in visitors as our city's population increases. The bill responds to all of that in a practical way.

The question is what role each of the parklands can play in generating income to support their enhancement. The rules we come up with must be fair and equitable across all parklands. I am not sorry to say that I do not agree that because Western Sydney Parklands runs at a profit, it should therefore subsidise all the parklands on the eastern seaboard side of Sydney. We all pay our taxes, but why is it that Western Sydney Parklands has to be profitable and the eastern seaboard is subsidised via taxes? It is not equitable, fair or an appropriate taxpayer funding model. When they were last in government, the Liberals and Nationals spent 12 years going ballistic in chopping up areas of Western Sydney Parklands for purposes such as industrial centres, retail shopping centres and residential estates that do not enhance the character of the parklands.

I can understand using open spaces to enhance recreational activity such as sporting and entertainment precincts and having cafes and restaurants to support visitations and recreational grounds. All those uses have to work to enhance the parklands. We all acknowledge that governments cannot have an endless stream of cash flow to undertake upgrades and maintenance, particularly when some parklands, by the way they were set up, discourage long stays for visitors to enjoy the ambience. Regardless, the Government has to achieve the right mix of subsidies and strengthened financial sustainability, and that is a clear object of both the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Act and the Western Sydney Parklands Act. That means long-term funding is treated as a core feature of the strategic plan, not an afterthought.

For the people of Sydney, that translates into better maintained parks, safer facilities and more reliable upkeep of paths, lighting, playgrounds, sporting fields and amenities. The bill also strengthens the trust's ability to undertake or facilitate business activities, including through off-park business hubs on supplementary land. As the Minister pointed out, the Minns Labor Government is progressing consideration of the off-park business hub model, building on the success of the Western Sydney Parklands. Why does that matter to local communities? Business hubs can provide an ongoing revenue stream that can be reinvested directly back into the parklands, something that we all want to see.

The bill also draws a clear distinction between parklands land and supplementary land used for business hubs. The additional environmental protections in the trust Act remain appropriate for the parklands. Supplementary land needs to be clearly identified. We cannot have a situation like with the previous Coalition Government, which redefined the parklands so that we would never achieve the 2 per cent that can be supplemented for industrial and other uses. I want to see that any future potential rezoning of industrial land is clearly discussed. It is abundantly clear that Western Sydney Parklands has provided enough parklands to industry. Great leaders, including Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Premier Neville Wran in the 1970s, wanted a green circular corridor around Sydney called the "lungs of Sydney".

Overall, the bill will continue to assess environmental and heritage values and protect them through established planning pathways while still allowing business hubs to operate and generate revenue for parklands. The bill also improves financial governance. Community trustee boards will be consulted on financial matters, but will not be able to block loans. That is important because it allows the trust to act when funding is needed for essential works or to establish revenue-generating projects. For the people of Sydney, this is about outcomes. It is about parks that are clean, safe and welcoming. It is about heritage buildings being looked after instead of deteriorating. It is about facilities that work and spaces that feel cared for.

I thank the chief executive of the Greater Sydney Parklands, Josh French, and his colleague Ben Tax for hosting me on a wonderful tour of Callan Park. What a wonderful precinct. Some of the dilapidated buildings need to be removed and replaced with inviting cafes. The much-needed cafes and amenities were non-existent when I was there. The magnificent historical buildings and sporting fields with their fabulous, priceless outlooks need to be unlocked and open to everyone in Sydney as well as tourists. Sports clubs could operate by repurposing some of the old buildings, giving the buildings a new lease of life for change rooms and function rooms and preserving their heritage in a modern context. The bill will have a positive impact on Callan Park. I know that passionate local activists will keep a close eye on it, as will I and others in the network of Greater Sydney Parklands, particularly the Western Sydney Parklands. That is why I support the bill. I hope members who want to preserve and strengthen our parklands will join me.

Mr ALEX GREENWICH ( Sydney ) ( 16:40 :00 ): I contribute to debate on the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026. Expansive green open space is critical to healthy cities. It supports biodiversity, clean air, flood mitigation, and relief from heat and carbon sequestration, and it provides opportunities for passive and active recreation and to connect with nature. As Sydney's population grows and more residents live in apartments, we are going to need more large green open spaces and urban bushland. In my electorate, where already over 80 per cent of residents live in apartments, our parklands have long been crucial to community health and wellbeing.

I was a member and deputy chair of the Joint Select Committee on the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust. You were a member of that committee also, Madam Temporary Speaker Davis. I welcome the committee's unanimous recognition of the immense value of our city parklands and expansive green open spaces. The committee sought to improve the trust's ability to protect and expand open space, and the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026 responds to those recommendations. The committee found that the trust does not have the resources needed to maintain and expand the parklands, and it called for strong government investment supplemented by some limited commercial use that does not compromise environmental and cultural values.

Our committee heard that off-park business hubs have helped the trust raise revenue in the Western Sydney Parklands without impacting community access to green open space. We supported expanding that model. The bill includes provisions to help the trust acquire supplementary lands for revenue purposes. Supplementary land is defined as land outside the parkland estate that is owned or managed by the trust. It is land that could be used for business hubs without impacting on green open recreation space. To ensure that the trust can deliver business hubs, the bill adds "development and use of supplementary land for revenue purposes" to the functions of the trust and the objects of the Act. I support that change.

However, while I am not opposed to revenue-raising activities on supplementary land, commercialisation needs to be limited on the actual parklands. I am worried that the bill could encourage broader commercialisation because financial sustainability would become an object of the Act. The object would apply to all land held in trust for recreation, environment, heritage and cultural values, not just supplementary land. I understand that it is not the Government's intention to use that object to require the trust to be wholly self-funding. Instead, the intention is to support budget bids for revenue. But the object can be interpreted in this way, making it a risky change.

In my electorate, Centennial Park and Moore Park have experienced significant loss of access to public open space from commercial activities used to generate income, including events and elite sport. Grasslands are often fenced off, putting pressure on what is left. The committee's core recommendation for improving financial sustainability was for increased government funding. As critical infrastructure, the Government must give the trust strong funding to fulfil its role in delivering expansive green open space to the community without having to rely on commercialisation and alienation. Under the bill, financial sustainability will also be included in the trust's functions, which should be adequate to ensure that the trust can operate appropriately. I foreshadow that I will move an amendment at a later stage to delete financial sustainability as an object of the Act.

An existing protection against commercialisation is the requirement for leases and licences over 10 years to be subject to an open tender process. Public tender processes were introduced through an amendment that I moved to the initial Greater Sydney Parklands legislation in order to prohibit secret deals at a time when there was an unsolicited proposal to change the use of the former showgrounds land at Moore Park for commercial towers and a hotel. The former showgrounds are now subject to an open tender process, which the existing leaseholder and the wider community support. Tender requirements are providing wider benefits, ensuring probity, transparency and public confidence.

The committee supported retaining the tender provisions. However, the bill instead removes them if the trust has given notice of the lease or licence on its website, considered submissions and the public benefit, and obtained the Minister's consent. The provision waters down an important accountability measure that the committee supported, putting the public benefit in future leases and licences at risk. I do not support the change and foreshadow that I will move an amendment at a later stage to strengthen the requirements before the trust can bypass an open tender process. I thank the Government for its support.

The bill also reduces the role that community trustee boards play in the management of the parklands. Under the changes, the trust would no longer be required to get board approval before a plan can be submitted to the Minister. It would instead only need to have consulted with and considered the advice of the board. Community trustee boards provide the key link between the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust and local communities, and they have become especially important, with an umbrella trust for all parklands. The committee heard concerns that community trustee boards need to have more input, not less. Its recommendations called on the trust to give boards more information on revenue and expenditure and to work together to ensure members can attend regular meetings.

The parklands belong to the people not the Government, and I acknowledge the concerns of the member for Balmain and the Friends of Callan Park about proposed changes that promote commercialisation in Callan Park. I will support the member's amendments to improve transparency and accountability and protect the public interest. I support changes in the bill that enable the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust to acquire land, such as surplus government or council land. However, I do not support provisions that enable the transfer of national park land through an administrative process. The oversight of Parliament must be retained for any revocation of national park land, even if it is for the purpose of recreation. That is particularly important given the nature of proposed amendments that incorporate development and financial sustainability in the objects. I understand that the Government will move amendments to withdraw that aspect of the bill.

Parklands can support much-needed biodiversity in cities by creating corridors for fauna to travel across in the face of threats such as drought, flood and fire, as part of a blue-green grid for Sydney. A blue-green grid could link Sydney's koala colony on its western edge with whale populations at sea in the east by connecting green spaces, tree canopy, rivers and creeks. It would not only help to protect biodiversity but also provide exciting recreational opportunities for a population that is increasing in density. The Government Architect first proposed the concept of a blue-green grid in 2017, and mapping has commenced. While the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Act recognises the role of parklands in a blue-green grid by empowering the trust to create a blue-green grid committee, the inquiry heard concerns that no work has been done to set up that committee. I welcome the Government's commitment to setting up the committee this year so that we can ensure land needed for biodiversity is not developed.

Centennial Park and Moore Park were the first parklands to come under the umbrella of the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust. These parklands have a long history of losses, including for the Eastern Distributor, Supa Centa Moore Park, the Moore Park Busway, the light rail and the Tibby Cotter bridge. While on-grass parking continues to be extended, including in recent years, I acknowledge the good work done under this Government to open up more public green open space at Moore Park by reducing the size of the golf course. I again call for the urgent removal of car parking on the green grasslands. The Greater Sydney Parklands Trust is the custodian of land that belongs to the people of Sydney and New South Wales for their recreation needs. As population density grows, we will need to fund the trust better so that it can ensure future generations have access to expansive green open space.

Mr EDMOND ATALLA ( Mount Druitt ) ( 16:47 :58 ): I speak in support of the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Amendment (Review) Bill 2026. The bill gives effect to the New South Wales Government's response to the parliamentary review of the Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Act 2022. It amends not only that Act but also the associated trusts legislation governing Callan Park, Centennial Park and Moore Park, Parramatta Park and the Western Sydney Parklands. In doing so, it delivers a cohesive, modern and future-focused framework for the stewardship of some of our most iconic parklands. These parklands are not incidental amenities; they are essential public infrastructure. They are places where families gather, where communities connect, where culture is celebrated and where people find respite from the pressures of urban life. In a city like Sydney, renowned across the world for its natural beauty, our green spaces are part of our identity.

The Greater Sydney Parklands Trust Act 2022 marked a significant reform that, for the first time, brought a number of our most significant parks together under a unified structure. Importantly, the Act also provides for a statutory review. That review was undertaken by a joint select committee of this Parliament and ensured that the legislation would not remain static but would evolve to meet changing needs and expectations. The committee's work was thorough and consultative. It received submissions from a wide range of stakeholders, held public hearings, undertook site visits and engaged directly with community trustee boards, including First Nations peoples. Its report, tabled in June 2025, provides the foundation for the bill before us today.

The bill responds directly to that work and does not merely tinker at the edges. It delivers meaningful reform across four key areas: strengthening objectives, securing financial stability, modernising leasing and tender processes, and improving governance. Firstly, the bill strengthens and aligns the objectives across all parkland legislation. It reinforces the importance of maintaining and improving our parks, conserving natural and cultural heritage, and encouraging public use and enjoyment. Importantly, it recognises connection to country for First Nations peoples—an acknowledgment that is both overdue and essential. It also ensures that legislation remains current by removing outdated references and promoting ongoing community engagement.

Secondly, the bill tackles one of the most critical challenges identified by the parliamentary review—financial stability. If we are serious about protecting and enhancing our parklands, we must also be serious about how they are funded. The bill embeds financial sustainability as a clear legislative objective and enables practical mechanisms to achieve it. One such mechanism is the business hub model, which was successfully implemented in Western Sydney Parklands. By utilising a small proportion of land for carefully considered commercial purposes, this model generates significant revenue that is reinvested into the remaining parklands. The bill extends that approach, including the potential for off-park business hubs, to ensure that our parks are not only preserved but also properly maintained and improved over time. Nothing in the bill permits the sale of parkland. Protections remain firmly in place. The bill ensures that we have the financial capacity to care for these assets into the future.

Thirdly, the bill modernises leasing, licensing and tendering processes. At present, the inconsistencies across different Acts create unnecessary complexity. In some cases that has discouraged investment. This is particularly evident in places like Callan Park and Parramatta Park where restrictive lease terms have left heritage buildings vacant and deteriorating. The bill introduces greater consistency, including longer lease terms where appropriate to encourage investment in restoration and adaptive re-use. It streamlines processes for short-term use and introduces flexibility into tendering arrangements while maintaining transparency, public notification and ministerial oversight. This is about reducing red tape without compromising accountability.

Fourthly, the bill strengthens governance. It clarifies the role of community trustee boards to ensure their advice is sought and valued while also enabling efficient decision‑making. It improves processes for plans of management and facilitates the transfer of surplus government land into the parkland estate. These practical reforms enhance both accountability and effectiveness. The bill is about balance: It balances protection with activation, heritage with innovation, and community access with financial responsibility. It recognises that our parklands must not be frozen in time. They must evolve to meet the needs of a growing and changing population.

As Greater Sydney continues to expand, access to high-quality public open spaces will only become more important. Those spaces support physical and mental wellbeing, contribute to environmental resilience, enhance the liveability of our city and provide tangible connections to our shared history and to country. That builds on the foundations that were laid in 2022 as informed by robust parliamentary review and community input. The bill delivers practical reforms that will strengthen, sustain and activate our parklands for generations to come. I commend the bill to the House.