A Landmark Vision for Conservation
After establishing a branch in New South Wales in 1983, the Wilderness Society joined with other conservation organisations to campaign for new wilderness protection laws across the state. The proposal became known as the Wilderness Act—a landmark conservation vision that would permanently change how wilderness was recognised and protected in Australia. At the time, large areas of New South Wales still lacked formal wilderness protections, despite containing some of the country’s most significant natural landscapes.
The Campaign
Following the Franklin River victory, conservation groups across New South Wales worked together to push for legislative protection of wilderness areas. When Premier Neville Wran left office, he appointed Bob Carr as Minister for Environment and Planning and tasked him with helping make the Wilderness Act a reality. The Wilderness Society, alongside other conservation organisations, advocated strongly for the legislation and for the protection of large wilderness areas across the state. Wran had previously supported the “Save the Franklin” position as part of Australian Labor Party policy at the party’s 1982 national conference. His government had also protected rainforest areas from logging and was working towards World Heritage recognition for them. In November 1987, Australia’s first-ever Wilderness Act passed the New South Wales Parliament. Under the Act, wilderness was defined as land that is:
“substantially unmodified by humans and their works or is capable of being restored to such a state.”
Protecting Wilderness Across NSW
The passing of the Act empowered communities and conservation groups to defend wilderness areas across New South Wales. Wilderness declarations followed across the state—from Washpool National Park in the north to Kosciuszko National Park in the south. Because of the Wilderness Act, nearly 10% of New South Wales is now protected wilderness. These protected areas include places such as Washpool National Park, part of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area, and Kosciuszko National Park, home to the critically endangered Southern corroboree frog. More than 2.1 million hectares of wilderness in New South Wales has since been protected.
Legacy
The Wilderness Act established a new legal framework for recognising and protecting wilderness in Australia. It also helped shape future conservation efforts by giving communities and environmental organisations stronger tools to defend intact landscapes across the state. As Bob Carr said during his second-reading speech on the Act:
“Under this government, wilderness has a right to exist.”