The western section of the headland was transferred from the Commonwealth to the New Government on 2 March 2012. This 17.7 hectare area contains remnants of the Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub eucalypt woodlands and coastal health land that now form part of a National Park. The (Gillard Rudd) Labor Commonwelth Government had planned to convert the remainder of the headland to a National Park after relocating the rifle range and completing work to make the area for public use. However the NSW Rifle Association defeated the Commonwealth Government in court scuttling the plans. A report submitted to the Abbott government in January 2015 recommended selling of the land for development but the plam met community outrage and was swiftly refuted by the Commonwealth Government in March 2015 plans to commit more of the headland to National Park and to return the horses were announced The future of the remainder of Malabar Headland remains uncertain. The rifle range on the Malabar headland was originally known as the Long Bay Rifle Range there is a long history of the site being used as a range dating back to when recreational and militia shooting first commenced on this site in the 1850s which contributed to local security.
