At its recent meeting, Edward River Council supported a Mayoral Minute from Mayor Ashley Hall, calling for the decision to be overturned.
The NSW Government says it will end firewood collection in the Murray Valley National Park from October 30.
The decision has been met with community uproar.
Edward River councillors supported a motion from Cr Hall to:
1. Write to Helen Dalton MP and David Farley MP seeking their support to have the decision overturned.
2. Write to and seek an urgent meeting with NSW Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe to request that the decision be reversed.
3. Write to the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service requesting a copy of any report or expert advice relied upon that recommended this decision.
4. Encourage all ratepayers of Edward River Council to sign the petition currently available at the office of Helen Dalton MP.
The ban will stop local families being able to buy a permit and pick up dead wood off the ground to keep their homes warm during winter.
The petition opposing the decision not only calls for the decision to be reversed, but also that no future changes are made until the NSW Rural Fire Service has assessed and publicly reported on the bushfire consequences, and to publish an updated fire management strategy.
It also seeks a guarantee of an affordable alternative source of firewood for Riverina households, at a price and travelling distance comparable to the current program, before any change takes effect, and for the release the review and survey data on which the decision was based.
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