Forest wars are not over
Brown’s High Court appeal
ENVIRONMENTALISTS are preparing a legal appeal against a Federal Court ruling in favour of Tasmanian logging practices.
Hundreds of wilderness supporters packed Hobart’s Town Hall on Thursday to hear how the Bob Brown Foundation planned to respond to Wednesday’s Federal Court ruling that Tasmania’s Regional Forest Agreement was valid.
The foundation hoped the high-profile challenge would bring an end to decades of forest wars in state wilderness areas. The organisation’s failed court action followed a legal win in Victoria for the Friends of Leadbeater’s Possums against VicForests.
State forestry leaders and Liberal and Labor parties welcomed Wednesday’s Federal Court ruling as a way of “enabling important forest production”.
Bob Brown Foundation solicitor Roland Browne said the organisation instructed its barristers to draw up a special leave application to take the case to the High Court.
Dr Bob Brown said the organisation was looking closely at its ground for appeal against the Federal Court decision “which was wrong”.
“The government’s own environmental review, which considered submissions from the logging industry and the wider public, found the RFAs were wrong – they’re destructive of nature, they should go and the forests should be put back under the environmental Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act,” he said. “We had a setback on Wednesday but now it’s a case of when the going gets tough the tough get going, and that’s us. We’re motivated, unlike the logging corporations by personal greed, but by wanting to see this planet handed on to coming generations with its wildlife intact.”
Dr Brown applauded the “big surge of young people” who had backed the organisation’s campaign including those in attendance at yesterday’s Town Hall meeting. “It is inevitable we will succeed (in the legal fight),” he said.
Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonathon Duniam said Bob Brown asked the Full Federal Court for its judgment, which he should now accept. “Common sense has prevailed and the forestry industry has the certainty it deserves,” he said. “It’s beyond time for the BBF to stop wasting the court’s time on attempts to destroy the livelihoods of hardworking Tasmanians. Native forest harvesting is here to stay.”