Sydney Parks Group

About

Dog walk The Sydney Parks Group was established in 1998 to provide a strategic approach to urban park research in Sydney.

The Group consists of government agencies at federal and state level, which manage parks and urban spaces in Sydney.

The original name for the group was ‘SUPER’ Group (which stood for Sydney Urban Parks Education and Research Group). In 2006, as the group embarked on its major scoping study the group adopted Sydney Parks Group as its new name. The new name creates a more immediate sense of the composition and aims of the group’s members.

Charter

The Sydney Parks Group member organisations have agreed to:

Information exchange: each member agrees to actively share information free of charge between group members for the purposes of collaborative urban parks research and education;
Confidentiality: each member agrees to treat all information obtained from other members as confidential, only to be shared with Group members and not used directly for financial gain;
Time commitment: each member agrees to meet with the Group no less frequently than bi-monthly, with each representative – at least one of whom will be the organisation’s CEO or a member of the senior management team – nominating a replacement attendee should he/she be unable to attend;
Financial commitment: each member organisation must demonstrate commitment to the Group by making a contribution of an agreed amount.
Membership: ongoing membership of the Group and any future applications to join the Group shall be at the discretion of the inaugural Group members.
Committee support: each member agrees that the Chair will resource the Committee, providing liaison and financial management support and have the organisational responsibility to service the meetings.
Subcommittees: from time to time subcommittees may be established to work on matters of interest. A Marketing Subcommittee comprised of nominated member organisations will report to the Sydney Parks Group on matters relating to branding, positioning, key messages, benefits, and other marketing issues.

Member Agencies

The members of Sydney Parks Group are:

Sydney Parks Group Member Profiles

Sydney Harbour Federation Trust

Eight unique lands on Sydney Harbour are to be returned to the people.

The sites are Cockatoo Island; Georges Heights, Chowder Bay and Middle Head; Former School of Artillery, North Head; Woolwich Dock and Parklands; Macquarie Lightstation; Snapper Island; Former Marine Biological Station, Watsons Bay; and HMAS Platypus.

These are former Defence and other special Commonwealth lands, most of which have been hidden away from the community for many years.

The lands are not to be sold and will remain in public ownership forever.

The lands provide an amazing opportunity for Sydney. They contain historic buildings and areas of pristine natural vegetation, magnificent views of the harbour and a record of our city’s Aboriginal, maritime and defence heritage.

The cultural heritage of the lands will be conserved, the environment protected and maximum public access provided.

The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust was set up by the Australian Government to plan the future of these lands and to conserve and preserve land in the Sydney Harbour region for the benefit of present and future generations of Australians.

Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust

Centennial Park was dedicated by Sir Henry Parkes as a public open space in 1888 and was the venue for the inauguration of Federation in 1901.

Centennial Parklands occupies a special place in the heart of the Australian nation as it includes a monument to the birth of the nation, the Federation Pavilion. Covering more than 360 hectares, the Parklands is one of the world’s finest and most used urban open spaces. It is situated less than five kilometres from Sydney’s central business district and just a few minutes from the city’s popular eastern beaches.

Centennial Parklands comprises three parks: Moore Park, Queens Park and Centennial Park.

National Parks and Wildlife Service

The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is part of the Department of Environment and Conservation - the main government conservation agency in New South Wales, Australia.

Since September 2003, the NPWS has been part of the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) responsible to the NSW Minister for the Environment. The Director-General of DEC is Lisa Corbyn.

The NPWS was established in 1967 to administer a fledgling system of national parks. Since then, its responsibilities have been greatly expanded and we now manage nearly six million hectares of parks and reserves – more than seven per cent of all land in NSW. We manage a variety of protected areas, including national parks, nature reserves, Aboriginal areas, historic sites, state conservation areas and regional parks.

However, conservation can’t be achieved within parks and reserves alone. We also work with the community to protect natural and cultural heritage across the state’s entire landscape. For example, we manage a series of voluntary programs so that landholders can conserve their own land in partnership with the NPWS. We also conduct our own environmental education activities and help to plan educational programs across the state.

Parramatta Park Trust

Parramatta Park is a site of national cultural heritage significance and a vital community asset for the people of western Sydney. The Park, which was originally the Governor’s Domain, is a cultural landscape containing evidence of Aboriginal occupation and colonial settlement.

The original inhabitants of Parramatta were the Burramatta (’burra’ meaning eel and ‘matta’ meaning creek) clan of the Dharug people after which Parramatta was named.

In 1788 Governor Phillip established the second settlement of New South Wales at Parramatta. The area was chosen for its rich fertile soil and its suitability for cultivation. The Park area includes natural heritage areas including approximately 10 hectares of remnant Cumberland Plain vegetation.

The Park provides a habitat for native wildlife and birdlife. Over 120 different bird species have been recorded in the Park.

Sydney Olympic Park Authority

Sydney Olympic Park Authority is responsible for managing and developing the 640-hectares that comprise the Park and maintain it as a lasting legacy for the people of New South Wales.

Over 7.7 million people visited Sydney Olympic Park in 2005 to play sport, picnic in the parklands, ride a bicycle, attend a multicultural festival, take part in one of our many educational programs, attend a concert or watch world-class sporting events.

Sydney Olympic Park Authority is committed to maintaining the Park and providing a diverse and a unique range of activities for Sydneysiders and tourists.

Our vision is for the Park to become an internationally recognised example of intelligent place-making. A dynamic and diverse township for living, working, learning and recreation. A place for all people set within a world class built and natural environment.

Our Mission is to develop and maintain, to international standards, a unique and integrated township called ‘Sydney Olympic Park’.

Botanic Gardens Trust

Governor Macquarie founded the Botanic Gardens in 1816. Our long history of collection and study of plants began with the appointment of the first Colonial Botanist, Charles Fraser, in 1817. This makes the Royal Botanic Gardens the oldest scientific institution in Australia.

The Royal Botanic Gardens and The Domain, combined, cover some 65 hectares.

In addition, the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust administers Mount Annan Botanic Garden and Mount Tomah Botanic Garden. Mount Annan Botanic Garden is the largest botanic garden in Australia, covering some 410 hectares in Sydney’s southwest between Camden and Campbelltown. Mount Tomah Botanic Garden is located on the Bells Line of Road in the Great Blue Mountains on 28 hectares.

Department of Planning (NSW)

The role of the Department of Planning is to lead strategies and decisions to support orderly growth and employment-generating activities that are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

The work of the Department in 2006 will set the framework for NSW over the next ten years. Consistent with the draft State Plan, ‘A new direction for NSW’ the Department is working towards creating liveable cities and towns and growing prosperity across NSW.

In 2006–07 the Department will focus its efforts on delivering:

subregional planning for, and increasing the supply of, residential land and employment land in metropolitan Sydney
regional strategies for coastal NSW
timely and innovative decisions on the State’s major infrastructure and development projects
demonstrating the benefi ts of recent planning reforms
A new focus will be improving the liveability of six regional cities by creating visions and plans for economic development and residential amenity.

University of Technology, Sydney (School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism)

The University of Technology, Sydney is a major Australian tertiary institution based in Sydney that offers undergraduate, postgraduate and research courses to both domestic and international students.

The School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism offers courses in leisure, tourism, sport, arts and events management and is host to the Australian Centre for Events Management and the Australian Centre for Olympic Studies.