Water & environment · Waverley Council
Waverley forest motion lost without vote tally
Councillors rejected a proposal to send Local Government NSW a call for an end to native-forest logging and support in principle for the proposed Great Southern Forest National Park, according to unconfirmed minutes.
Reporting from public council minutes. How this article was prepared
A Waverley Council motion seeking Local Government NSW support for ending logging in NSW native forests and support in principle for the proposed Great Southern Forest National Park was recorded as lost. The unconfirmed minutes record that the motion was put to a vote and declared lost, but do not give a vote tally or list how individual councillors voted.
Moved by Cr Ludovico Fabiano and seconded by Cr Paula Masselos, the motion asked Local Government NSW to reaffirm support for ending logging in native forests and to support in principle the proposed park along connected forest landscapes on the NSW south coast and south-east.
It also proposed that Local Government NSW call on the NSW Government to develop a transition plan with affected local governments, Traditional Custodians, local communities, conservation organisations, forestry workers and regional industries. The plan would cover an end to native-forest logging on public land, a shift towards sustainably managed plantation and farm forestry, protection and restoration of high-conservation-value forests and properly funded support for affected workers, businesses and regional communities.
Other parts of the proposal sought an assessment of the biodiversity, water, cultural, recreational and economic values of forests proposed for inclusion in the park. It proposed calls for local government to have a meaningful role in future forest-management decisions and for management, protection and restoration measures to be co-designed with First Nations communities.
The motion was considered at the 20 October meeting as a proposal for the 2026 Local Government NSW Conference. Because it was recorded as lost, the proposal was not adopted by Waverley Council for submission to that conference.
Fabiano declared a less than significant non-pecuniary interest in the item, telling the meeting he is a Local Government NSW board member. The minutes do not record whether he or any other councillor abstained from the vote.
What deserves a closer look
The minutes declare the motion lost and give its proposed content, but do not give the size or distribution of opposition.
The proposal combined forest-protection measures with a transition for workers, businesses and regional communities, rather than dealing only with the proposed national park.
The confirmation line is dated after the supplied source-check date, so the article treats the minutes as unconfirmed rather than claiming confirmed status.
Questions for follow-up reporting
What was the numerical vote on the motion, and did any councillors abstain or leave the meeting before it was decided?
Will Waverley Council pursue separate advocacy on native-forest protection or regional transition?
What position, if any, will Waverley Council take on the existing Local Government NSW policy referred to in the motion?
Check the record
These passages were matched to the source text. Read them in context in the original minutes.
The item heading identifies the proposal as a motion for the 2026 Local Government NSW Conference concerning protection of NSW native forests and the Great Southern Forest National Park.
8. Notices of Motion CM/8.1/26.10 Motion for the 2026 Local Government NSW Conference - Protection of NSW Native Forests and the Great Southern Forest National Park (A13/0314) Cr Fabiano declared a less than significant non-pecuniary interest in this item and informed the meeting that he is on the board of Local Government NSW.
CM/8.1/26.10, item heading
Open original minutes ↗The motion, moved by Cr Fabiano and seconded by Cr Masselos, proposed submission to the 2026 Local Government NSW Conference, asking Local Government NSW to reaffirm support for ending logging in NSW native forests and support in principle the proposed Great Southern Forest.
MOTION Mover: Cr Fabiano Seconder: Cr Masselos That Council submits the following motion for consideration at the 2026 Local Government NSW Conference: That Local Government NSW: 1. Reaffirms its existing policy position supporting the ending of logging in NSW native forests and recognises the critical environmental, social, cultural and economic value of native forests to communities across NSW. 2. Recognises the importance of protecting and restoring large, connected areas of native forest to support biodiversity, threatened species, water catchments, carbon storage, climate resilience, nature-based tourism and recreation. 3. Supports in principle the establishment of the proposed Great Southern Forest, including the protection and restoration of connected native forest landscapes along the NSW south coast and south-east.
CM/8.1/26.10, motion and proposed conference motion clauses 1–3
Open original minutes ↗The proposal included a call on the NSW Government to develop a transition plan covering an end to public-land native-forest logging, a progressive transition towards sustainably managed plantation and farm forestry, forest protection and properly funded support for affected workers, businesses and regional communities.
4. Calls on the NSW Government to develop, in consultation with affected local governments, Traditional Custodians, local communities, conservation organisations, forestry workers and regional industries, a comprehensive transition plan to: (a) End native forest logging on public land. (b) Progressively transition the native hardwood timber industry towards sustainably managed plantation and farm forestry. (c) Protect and restore high-conservation-value native forests and wildlife corridors. (d) Support affected workers, businesses and regional communities through a properly funded transition. Minutes of Council Meeting 20 October 2026 This is page 22 of the minutes of the Council meeting held on 20 October 2026 (e) Expand opportunities for regional communities through nature-based tourism, recreation, restoration and other sustainable and regenerative industries.
CM/8.1/26.10, proposed conference motion clause 4
Open original minutes ↗The proposal sought a NSW Government assessment of forests proposed for inclusion in the Great Southern Forest, a meaningful local-government role in forest-management decisions, and First Nations co-design of forest management, protection and restoration.
5. Calls on the NSW Government to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the biodiversity, water, cultural, recreational and economic values of forests proposed for inclusion in the Great Southern Forest. 6. Calls on the NSW Government to ensure that local government has a meaningful role in decisions concerning the future management, protection, and restoration of native forest landscapes. 7. Calls on the NSW Government to co-design with First Nations communities the management, protection and restoration of native forest landscapes. 8. Advocates for the NSW Government to implement these measures and reports to member councils on progress.
CM/8.1/26.10, proposed conference motion clauses 5–8
Open original minutes ↗The minutes record that the motion was put and declared lost; the outcome passage gives no vote count or individual voting list.
THE MOTION WAS PUT AND DECLARED LOST. CM/8.2/26.10 Vertical Public High School in Bondi Junction (A14/0170) The item was deferred by the Chair to the Council meeting on 17 November 2026.
CM/8.1/26.10, outcome immediately before the CM/8.2/26.10 heading
Open original minutes ↗Cr Fabiano declared a less than significant non-pecuniary interest and said he was on the Local Government NSW board.
1. Apologies/Leaves of Absence There were no apologies. 2. Declarations of Interest The Chair called for declarations of interest and the following were received: 2.1 Cr Fabiano declared a less than significant non-pecuniary interest in item CM/8.1/26.10 – Motion for the 2026 Local Government NSW Conference – Protection of NSW Native Forests and the Great Southern Forest National Park and informed the meeting that he is on the board of Local Government NSW.
Declaration of interest, item 2.1
Open original minutes ↗The record's signed-and-confirmed line is dated 17 November 2026.
13. Meeting Closure THE MEETING CLOSED AT 11.47 PM. ............................................................. SIGNED AND CONFIRMED MAYOR 17 NOVEMBER 2026
Meeting closure and confirmation line
Open original minutes ↗Source record
Reporting from the supplied, unconfirmed public minutes of Waverley Council’s meeting held on 20 October 2026.
Key facts from the minutes
- The unconfirmed minutes record the motion as put and declared lost.
- It sought Local Government NSW support for ending logging in NSW native forests and support in principle for the proposed Great Southern Forest National Park.
- The proposal included a transition plan for workers, businesses and regional communities affected by changes to native-forest logging on public land and the native hardwood timber industry.
- Cr Ludovico Fabiano declared a less than significant non-pecuniary interest because he is on the Local Government NSW board.
- The minutes do not provide a vote tally or an individual voting list for this motion.
Why it matters
- The proposal would have asked Local Government NSW to consider a package covering native-forest protection, an end to public-land logging and support for regional communities affected by a transition. The unconfirmed minutes record that Waverley Council did not adopt it for submission to the 2026 conference, but do not show the margin or distribution of the vote.