Park Entry and Campground Fee Increase. Reasonable?

[maddog]

What are the changes?
Daily vehicle entry and camping fees will increase at all NSW NPWS fee-collecting locations from 6 October 2015.
Daily vehicle entry fees are increasing by $1 per day across all the current price points. To see the new day entry price points see the fee-collecting parks page of the website.

Daily vehicle entry fees to Kosciuszko NP during the declared ski season will increase by $2 per day from the 2016 June long weekend.
Camping fees will be increasing by 15%, an increase of between 50 cents and $3.50 and there will be a corresponding increase to base site fees where applicable. Download the Camping fees and locations table.

The increase reflects a partial recovery of CPI since the last fee increase and will be used to assist in meeting costs associated with maintaining visitor facilities as well as important conservation objectives such as pest and weed control programs.
NPWS will be implementing annual changes to entry and camping fees which will be linked to CPI.

Why are the fees increasing?
Costs associated with maintaining visitor facilities and campgrounds have risen since the last fee increase.
The last daily vehicle entry fee increase was in 2004 and standard camping fees last increased in 2007.
NPWS must ensure the cost of services and fees are aligned with inflation and the costs of providing these visitor facilities.
Periodic review and adjustment of prices, including the incorporation of CPI movements, is standard practice for many organisations, both government and corporate.

Children charged entry, no concession for health care card holders and no commitment to improve facilities. Is this fee increase reasonable? Or will it just cause our National Parks to become even more unpopular?

Thanks in advance,

Maddog.

[Kainas]

Annual passes, something akin to the 'backcountry huts passes' in NZ would be a nice introduction.

[north-north-west]

Doesn't KNP have an annual pass system? Pretty sure it used to when I was a mainlander.

[Lizzy]

Yep you can buy an annual or 2 year pass that covers all parks, or all parks excluding Kosciusko, or a one park passs I think.

[GPSGuided]

Tax cut, less general revenue, it's only expected that fees will increase. Quite reasonable I think.

[That_Asian_Bloke]

Yeah we normally just get a 2 year Multi-Park Pass (doesn't include Kosciusko).

I think it's quite reasonable for the price hikes though.

[kjbeath]

The all parks except KNP is $65/year or $115 for 2 years which for anyone who regularly visits parks is a bargain. Annoyingly they generally don't tell you about the 2 year option if you ask for an annual pass.

[perfectlydark]

The annual pass is good for entry. However the site fees are already quite high in some spots which turns us as a family towards lower cost (free) camping in state forests etc.
Site fees particularly in parks with little to no facilities i think are s little steep. Not totally unreasonable but not worth an increase. For my 2c

[Zingiberaceae]

An increase of a dollar or two a day just keeps it in line with inflation, and won't change my use of the national park at all (nor, I suspect, the mind of anyone planning to buy a pass!).

[GPSGuided]

What's the material of those 2 year passes? My 1 year stick-on windscreen pass faded so badly after 1 year that I can't imagine it being suitable across 2 years.

[Lophophaps]

If there's a requirement to display the pass for it to be valid and this is done, then faded or not the rules have been followed. Providing that payment can be evidenced and a pass number cited (if they are numbered) then the visitor has done everything in compliance. I suspect that if enough people contact PWS and asked about a duplicate due to the first one fading the quality may be improved.

[GPSGuided]

Are you confirming the 2 year pass is of the same material and you have experienced fading? Mine can't even be read in parts after one year and a bit.


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[perfectlydark]

I still have an old one about 4 years old in the car. Faded but readable.
Car is garaged mostly though