The federal government has promised millions to help protect Australia's iconic national parks and upgrade critical facilities after years of neglect.
The government confirmed an extra $262.3 million in next month's Federal Budget would address the chronic under-funding of the Commonwealth's national parks, which include Booderee National Park and the World Heritage-listed Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuṯa National Parks, and a network of 60 marine parks.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said Labor has tripled the amount of national parks funding delivered by the Coalition since taking office, and this latest commitment was part of its attempt at "cleaning up the mess" of previous governments in the past decade.
The funding will address feral animals and weed infestations as well as critical infrastructure needs, such as unsafe equipment, inadequate signage, visitor amenities, essential ranger housing and rundown facilities like the Kakadu Aboriginal Cultural Centre.
Ms Plibersek said the funding will create more than 100 jobs, including roles for Traditional Owners to work on country and other positions focused on safety and delivery of projects.
It will also boost conservation activities and cultural heritage management and support the new National Seed Bank at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
"These natural treasures should be a source of national pride, but instead they are falling apart," Ms Plibersek said.
"Programs to protect threatened species and eradicate invasive species have been woefully underfunded.
"This puts at risk the safety of staff and visitors, and compromises the ability to protect some of our most precious places, and the plants and animals that call them home."
While projects in Uluru, Booderee, Christmas Island, Pulu Keeling, Norfolk and the Australian Botanical Gardens will benefit, much of the spending will be on urgent repairs at Kakadu National Park, which traditional owners and tourism officials say has been neglected.
"At Kakadu, the Jim Jim Rangers station roof is peeling off and there are broken or missing crocodile warning signs in the park," Ms Plibersek said.
"At Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, roofing is falling apart on shelters designed to provide shade and protection from the harsh desert heat, and housing for staff is inadequate.
"Shockingly, two of Australia's most recent extinctions happened in our national parks."
The extinctions were in a Commonwealth national park on Christmas Island, with the Christmas Island pipistrelle - a bat - and the Christmas Island forest skink - a lizard - formally listed as extinct in 2021.
It remains unclear exactly how the funding will be allocated across the Commonwealth's national parks.
In 2019 the Coalition government promised $276 million for Kakadu but delivered just $17 million.
"We want to better protect our precious places and better support those who manage them, so they can be enjoyed for generations to come," Ms Plibersek said.
