The 25-year plan said the park's roads are used for commuter parking and shortcuts in peak periods, often leading to an "unmanageable" number of vehicles. Robyn Parker says there will be no charge while she is environment minister. Credit:Edwina Pickles The fee would help pay for road maintenance and “remedial work on damaged trees caused by intensive car parking on their roots”. It would be phased in over five years. The move raised the possibility that thousands of genuine park users would be penalised in the crackdown, and prompted claims by Labor that the state government is “debauching” the city's parklands by forcing them to raise revenue. Parklands across Sydney are chasing new revenue streams as government finance dwindles.

Centennial Park receives 4 per cent of its annual operating budget from the state government, down from 20 per cent a decade ago. The funding will cease completely next financial year - a move the master plan said had created "financial challenges". A spokesman for Ms Parker said the government is investing $27 million over the next four years in capital expenditure to address "chronic under investment in the Centennial Parklands over many years", adding "this is a significant increase to previous governments". He said Ms Parker would "not agree" with any proposal put forward by the park's trust to introduce an access fee. About 8 million visits are made to the park each year. An estimated 60 per cent of people arrive by car – meaning even a small levy could reap millions of dollars annually. Centennial Parklands chief executive Kim Ellis said about 20 per cent of cars entering the park in the morning and afternoon peak were taking a shortcut to or from the city, which was “not in the spirit of how the park operates”.

He said community feedback on the draft master plan suggested a car levy be applied. “We are not entirely convinced but we will explore it over the next few years to see if these sorts of things might be viable,” he said. But Labor MP Luke Foley said Sydneysiders have enjoyed Centennial Park without charge for 125 years, and that should not change. “The massive pressure that Treasury places on our public parklands and botanical gardens to raise more and more private funds ultimately debauches these public institutions,” he said. “The park was created for the centenary of European settlement of Australia as a park for the people. That is, a place for public recreation for the growing city of Sydney ... not simply for the residents of Woollahra and Waverley."

Centennial Park Residents Association co-chairman Peter Tzannes opposed a vehicle levy, saying gates could be opened and closed at staggered times to prevent rat-running – but Mr Ellis said such measures have not been “entirely effective”. Bike Sydney president David Borella applauded any move to prioritise people over cars in the park, adding future improvements to public transport and pedestrian access meant in a few years, “people will have a real choice to leave the car at home”.