People visiting or camping in national parks in NSW face hefty increases, and staff have been told to be "proactive" in the hunt for asset sales and alternative uses of their own accommodation, according to a leaked document submitted to parliamentary estimates hearings.
Park staff are urged to help secure the "financial sustainability" of the National Parks and Wildlife Service amid "ongoing budgetary pressures … and decreasing expense allocations across future years", the deputy chief executive of the service, Michael Wright, stated in a letter dated June 29 this year.
The letter lists eight "sub-projects" for savings and revenue, including "a review of assets currently deployed as staff accommodation","retention of revenue derived from asset sales", and an increase to park use and camping fees.
Mark Speakman, Minister for Office of Environment and Heritage, told Estimates on Friday entrance fees, though, hadn't increased since 2004 and those for camping since 2007, and so were due "for a catch-up".
Consumer prices had risen 29 per cent since 2004 and 18 per cent since 2007, but park fees will rise only by an average of 15 per cent in 2015-16, Mr Speakman told Fairfax Media.
"All fee revenue is put back into park facilities for the public to enjoy," Mr Speakman said. "Revenue from these fee increases will be additional funds for our protected area estate on top of the $6.86m increase in 2015-16."
Penny Sharpe, the ALP's upper house member who presented the leaked letter, said national parks were a low-cost holiday option and the fee increase "will have a huge impact for people across the state".
Motor vehicle entry fees are charged at 45 of the state's more than 850 national parks and reserves, with most day passes now costing $7, according to the NPWS's website. Annual passes for all parks now cost $190 and two-year passes cost $335.
The document also showed the national parks weren't being funded adequately "to do what they need to", Ms Sharpe said. "It appears there is no staff accommodation that they don't want to put a coffee shop in."
Kevin Evans, chief executive of the National Parks Association, said national parks must have sufficient funds to ensure the protection of biodiversity values they were established for.
"We need to develop and broaden the income base to manage them professionally," Mr Evans said, adding "all jurisdictions" in the country were cutting back spending on conservation.
"But if commercial opportunities are being encouraged in wilderness or high conservation value areas just because they are trying to plug a gap in funding, it will lead to a deterioration of those values," Mr Evans said.
Big increases in fees for national parks would also exclude many people.
"They should be there for everybody, regardless of their ability to pay," he said.
