Ross McKinney, a former regional manager of the Snowy Mountains National Park, and previous general manager of the Snowy River Shire Council, has accused the Office of Environment and Heritage of a “systematic dismantling” of the NPWS.

Speaking at the February 13 Eurobodalla Shire Council meeting, he said restructures within the service have resulted in a loss of experience, as more highly skilled roles are replaced with lower-paid, less-skilled roles.

“Seventy field management positions will be cut to just over 30,” he said.

He also says the restructures will result in a loss of jobs and employment, particularly in regional areas such as the Eurobodalla.

“The loss of positions forces families to migrate to other parts of the state,” he said.

Mr McKinney said the service was already struggling to maintain its parks and facilities.

“I am seeing visitor facilities run down and walking tracks degraded – on one visit I observed fire trails were closed,” he said.

“All of this results in increased risk to life and property.”

Mr McKinney said the University of New South Wales and the Australian National University both say more fire fighters are needed on the ground in national parks.

He urged the council to lobby on behalf of the service.

The NPWS denies that the resutructure will have an adverse effect on parks, and claims there will be an increase in staffing.

“The restructure will see an increased number of 119 full-time equivalent roles, of which 115 are frontline roles, placing resources where we need them to support the community, and especially in regional areas,” a spokeswoman said.

“The restructure also ensures that the skills and experience within the workforce are passed down to the next generation by redressing the balance of junior and senior roles, providing better career pathways and enabling more people to join the agency.

“NPWS focuses on conservation and NPWS positions include specialist roles in pest-management, threatened species and biodiversity.”