Petition Description:

Too many WA campsites are being booked online and left unused, leaving families and genuine campers locked out — even when the sites are sitting empty.

We’re calling on the WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) to fix the Parks Stay booking system by:

• Requiring mandatory check-in for bookings
• Penalising no-shows and releasing unused sites
• Updating availability in real time
• Limiting how far in advance bookings can be made during peak periods
• Allowing rangers and campers to report obviously empty sites
• Urgent improvement to the online booking platform to handle traffic and user-friendliness
• Offer more sites as “first come, first served” to balance the system
• Require verified IDs to prevent multiple dummy bookings.

Please sign this petition to ask DBCA and relevant decision-makers to urgently improve the fairness and functionality of the system.

Letter to DBCA – Parks Stay Booking Concerns and below is the full letter we are submitting to DBCA. Your signature adds your voice in support and helps show how urgently these changes are needed.

Letter to DBCA – Parks Stay Booking Concerns

Dear DBCA Team,

This letter is written to raise concerns about the current booking system used on the Parks Stay (DBCA) online booking portal. There is growing frustration among campers and park users due to campsites being fully booked online, while many of those sites sit empty overnight. This prevents genuine campers from enjoying WA’s incredible natural spaces and creates unnecessary tension within the community and on social media.

In addition to this issue, the booking platform itself is not keeping up with demand. During peak periods, it becomes slow or unresponsive. More importantly, the platform’s design makes flexible trip planning difficult. If a preferred date is unavailable, there is no clear visual indicator of alternative availability nearby or alternative dates — users must manually hover over each campsite to check, which is time-consuming and discouraging. This results in missed opportunities and increases frustration for users who are willing to be flexible with their plans.

To address these problems and improve fairness, I suggest the following improvements:

1. **Mandatory Check-In System**  
  Require campers to check in via the app, website, or QR code at the campsite by a set time (e.g., 6pm). Sites not checked into should be released for others to book or walk-in use.

2. **No-Show Penalties**  
  Implement a penalty or fee/loss of pre-paid bond for those who don’t show up without cancelling within 24 hours. Repeat offenders could be restricted from booking for a period of time.

3. **Real-Time Releasing of Vacant Sites**  
  If a site is vacated early or goes unused, make it available in real time for other users to book or walk into.

4. **Limit Advance Bookings in Peak Periods**  
  Reduce how far in advance people can book during busy times, or ensure a portion of campsites are left for on-the-spot bookings to balance the system.

5. **Allow Ranger or Community Reporting of Vacant Sites**  
  Provide a mechanism for rangers or campers to report obviously vacant sites so they can be promptly reallocated fairly.

6. **Upgrade the Booking Platform**  
  Improve the website’s booking platform to handle high traffic, and redesign the interface to make flexible date selection easier. A clearer visual display of surrounding availability and date availability — without needing to manually hover over each individual campsite — would help users find open campsites quickly and reduce frustration.

7. **Actively Investigate Suspicious Bookings**  
  Implement temporary bans on users if multiple dummy bookings are identified and verified through ID. This will create a fair system and encourage campers to only book for the nights they genuinely intend to use.

These changes would help ensure the system is used responsibly, improve access for genuine visitors, and reduce community dissatisfaction.