Once koalas thrived from the mountains to the southern coast until hunting, clearing, stress related diseases and logging decimated their numbers across this greatest continuous Eucalypt forest. 

'Koalas need latitudinal and longitudinal habitat connectivity if they are to recover and survive climate change' the late John Hibbard said as the then Head of SERCA as the 2008 Campaign: Natural Native Forests - essential for climate, water and wildlife was launched.

This campaign went worldwide with the community’s effort to save the last southern koalas in the State Forests of Murrah, Mumbula, Tathra, Tanja, Gulaga and Bermagui from woodchipping.

The recently declared Murrah Flora Park covers these forests however the Park is an island and insufficient to guarantee long-term survival of this Vulnerable Australian icon. Cultural burns and scientific evaluation are part of a government case study of the Murrah Flora Reserve, and critical to the Southern Koala Recovery Plan. Yet with a hot late summer predicted, one wildfire and back burning to save property could wipe the small but recovering far south coast population.

These now fire prone forests are thick with the silver top ash regrowth preferred for woodchips. 

Forest restoration in all State Forests is critical for Koala survival and the safety of locals and the thousands of summer visitors. 

A water crane permanently stationed in the Bega Valley is needed urgently. 

And the Regional Forest Agreements must not be renewed!

Koalas face urban expansion on the north coast and prolonged heat waves out west - our vast southern forests stretching from the Great Eastern Ranges to the east coast can provide hope for the long-term survival of the Koala in New South Wales.

Will Mike Kelly disown Bill Shorten's endorsement of last week's disgraceful guttersnipe “robocall” campaign by the ACTU and CFMEU designed to deliberately scare pensioners at Christmas time? Not likely. 

Eden-Monaro was blitzed by the $50,000 robocall pension-scare, dishonestly based on examples of a tiny fraction of well-off couples with at least $708,000 in assets on top of their family home, far greater assets than 90 per cent plus of all pensioners.

Just a repeat of the union "Mediscare" lies during the election.

From July next year, the NSW government want every local council to collect a new land tax for them – the ‘Emergency Services Property Levy’ (ESPL). The new state government tax will be included on all council rate notices.

But Premier Baird won’t put the legislation to Parliament until the very last minute to avoid a community campaign against this new tax. Parliament doesn’t even sit again until next February.

The devil will be in the detail, and it is all being kept secret behind closed doors in Macquarie Street.

There could be different tax rates for commercial, residential and rural properties. Some groups are worried that the tax could shift costs from metropolitan or commercial classifications onto residential and rural landowners.

The government has refused to say if it will compensate councils for the cost of collecting the new tax, or if local ratepayers will also be hit with this extra cost.

The community and local councils have a right to know. After all, residents and small businesses will have to pay for it.