FOREST FEUD
Beaten, not broken: Brown digs in despite legal hit
BOB Brown has vowed to continue fighting to end native forest logging in Tasmania despite losing a Federal Court battle, promising “the forests will be free of chainsaws before too long”.
Yesterday, environmentalists lost a high-profile challenge against the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement, which they hoped would bring an end to a decades-old logging war in the state’s native forests.
“We have not won this case, but it does not alter our campaign to save our native forests one iota – in fact, we feel emboldened,” Dr Brown, left, said.
BOB Brown has vowed to continue fighting to end native forest logging in Tasmania despite losing a Federal Court battle, promising “the forests will be free of chainsaws before too long”.
On Wednesday, environmentalists lost a high-profile challenge against the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement, which they hoped would bring an end to a controversial, decades-old logging war in the state’s native forests.
However, the Bob Brown Foundation says the loss is just “one setback” and not fatal to its campaign, and is considering whether to lodge application for special leave to appeal with the High Court.
The Federal Court hearing last December, which the foundation dubbed the “Great Forest Case”, came amid news that only 300 critically-endangered swift parrots likely remained in the wild.
While waiting for the court’s decision, the foundation struck a deal with Sustainable Timber Tasmania that granted the birds a temporary reprieve, with the forester agreeing to suspend operations in 49 coupes believed to be swift parrot habitat over summer.
That reprieve came to an end on Wednesday, with the full court of the Federal Court ruling Tasmania’s RFA was indeed valid.
“The forests will be free of chainsaws before too long. This is a speed bump, but we will be moving right ahead,” Dr Brown said after the judgment was handed down.
“In the court of public opinion, the decision has already been made: the logging of native forests should stop.
“We have not won this case but it does not alter our campaign to save our native forests one iota – in fact, we feel emboldened.
“In the meantime, our injunctive action has given four months protection to the last few hundred swift parrots in their feeding and breeding season.”
Resources Minister Guy Barnett was thrilled by Wednesday’s judgment.
“Today is a historic day,” he said.
“We won. The forest industry has won. The workers of Tasmania have won. The Bob Brown Foundation has lost.
“This is a vote of confidence in the Regional Forest Agreement and all that it stands for.”
Mr Barnett said it was time to “stop the green warfare”, asking the foundation to “respect the umpire’s decision”.
The “Great Forest Case” was brought after a victory in a similar battle last year in Victoria, between the Friends of the Leadbeater’s Possums and VicForests.
But in the Tasmanian case, Justices Edwards Griffiths, Mark Moshinsky and Sarah Derrington dismissed the foundation’s claims that most of the state’s forestry operations were illegal.
They disagreed that provisions of the RFA clashed with Commonwealth legislation intended to protect the environment and native species, “and in particular prevent extinction”.
The judges agreed with SST’s contentions that Tasmania’s environment wasn’t just protected by the RFA, but by a suite of legislation governing national parks and threatened species.
Assistant Federal Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonathon Duniam called the outcome “a victory for every hardworking man and woman in forestry across the nation”.
“Bob Brown said himself that ‘it’s time for a big winner’ when it comes to the native forestry industry, and today’s decision confirms forestry is that winner,” Mr Duniam said on Wednesday.