01/06/2026
‼️ Please share widely ‼️. A letter sent to all 135 Members of NSW Parliament, individually addressed, requesting action - here is the letter addressed to Penny Sharpe ….
Dear Minister Sharpe,
On behalf of the Landholder’s Right to Farm, I write regarding the ongoing "Pink Map" issue affecting landholders in the West Wyalong - Tallimba area.
Request for Action
We seek your support to ensure that the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee urgently completes its statutory review of the Mallee-Broombush Critically Endangered Ecological Community listing, now more than 15 years past its legislative review period
A Nomination with up-to-date scientific data has been provided by specialist ecologist Dr Anne Clements, peer-reviewed by Associate Professor Richard Thackway and Dr Neil Byron, former member of the Commonwealth Threatened Species Scientific Committee.
Minister Penny Sharpe committed in February 2025 to this review, and Premier Chris Minns committed to investigating bureaucratic delays. We now seek implementation of those commitments.
Despite sustained parliamentary, media, and public attention – the vegetation listing underpinning the “Pink Map” in West Wyalong -Tallimba area remains unresolved. If the listing is revised in line with current evidence, the “Pink Map” restrictions affecting productive farmland in the West Wyalong – Tallimba region can be resolved.
Background
A statewide vegetation project in the early 2000s identified more than 1,000 plant community types across NSW. What was a fast-track broadscale study became the basis for legislated land-use restrictions on productive farmland.
In the West Wyalong district, the science underpinning the Mallee-Broombush Critically Endangered Ecological Community listing was not sufficiently robust to justify its classification as “at high risk of extinction in the immediate future”.
The original determination referenced mapping as “none” and relied on estimated vegetation extent with a confidence of 10% - 30%, rather than comprehensive on-ground verification. It also suggested the vegetation “could be lumped with another vegetation type to form a critically endangered community”, with no ecological justification.
Despite this, the listing was legislated in 2010 and later expanded through the 2018 “Pink Map” framework, increasing mapped extent from 2,000 hectares to more than 11,000 hectares on the basis that “it may be present”.
The Ungarie Oval example – A clear imbalance
Media attention was drawn to a map error on the Ungarie Football Oval, the home ground of one of Australia’s most respected sporting families, the Daniher family, and the enduring legacy of Neale Daniher AO – demonstrating that significant map errors do occur despite assurances regarding map accuracy.
Within hours of media attention, DCCEEW acknowledged the error and confirmed the oval could continue to be used. This stands in contrast to farming families in the West Wyalong – Tallimba region, where similar issues remain unresolved for years.
Across the district, planted trees, modified vegetation, fence lines, farm tracks, silos and dams continue to be mapped as native vegetation, triggering serious regulatory consequences. Attempts to correct these errors are routinely delayed or rejected.
Concerningly, the Ungarie Oval example highlights a clear imbalance: while rural landholders must navigate a complex system backed by significant government and legal resources - when an error affects one of Australia’s most recognised sporting families, the map is able to be corrected almost immediately.
Impact on Landholders
Landholders were not directly informed that long-standing land-use rules had changed, and that land captured by the Pink Map is subject to biodiversity-related restrictions.
The impacts include lost income, the loss of business, reduced farm equity, emotional & financial stress, and uncertainty regarding long-term farm viability. Serious mental health impacts have been raised with DCCEEW and reported in the media.
There was no consultation. No transitional support. And no compensation.
Ongoing Legislative Delay
This is not an argument against conservation. The fact remains that the statutory review requirements under the 1995 Threatened Species Act and the 2016 Biodiversity Conservation Act have not been met. At the time of listing, review was required “at least every two years”, yet the matter is now more than 15 years beyond the legislated review period.
This raises three questions:
How can a listing with such significant legal and economic consequences continue to rely on science and mapping that has since proven insufficiently rigorous and inaccurate - particularly when the legislation itself requires a formal review that has still not occurred?
If the science and review process are, as the Minister has stated, “not straight forward” - how was such a sweeping listing implemented so quickly and with comparatively limited scrutiny at the outset?
Is it appropriate for landholders to continue bearing regulatory consequences arising from decisions where the original scientific and mapping basis do not meet current standards of ecological evidence?
In Conclusion
We respectfully request your support to ensure the NSW Threatened Species Scientific Committee urgently completes its review of the Mallee-Broombush listing.
If the listing is revised in line with updated evidence already provided to the Committee, the “Pink Map” restrictions affecting the West Wyalong–Tallimba region can finally be resolved.
Regards,
Annabelle Davis
President, Landholder’s Right to Farm
