Court decision failed to protect

LOGGING NATIVE FOREST

WHAT does the Federal Court ruling against the Bob Brown Foundation’s ‘great forest case’ mean for the forests of the North East? If this landmark case had been successful, it would have meant precious areas of Gondwanic remnant forests and our glacial refugia rainforests would have been taken off the chopping block. In keeping with the recommendations from the Samuel Review to reform our logging laws under the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) that governs our state’s logging industry, which does not adhere to national environmental protection laws under the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act.

The Federal Court has found logging laws under the RFA are not legally binding under federal law. This is devastating for native forest: it allows states to send wildlife like swift parrots, Tassie devils, wedge-tailed eagles, giant freshwater crayfish, quolls and masked owls to the edge of extinction.

Despite the verdict, this Federal Court case has produced important wins that should be celebrated, including injunctions that halted logging in critical swift parrot habitat for four months in their breeding season. It is a matter of weeks before those parrots prepare to migrate across Bass Strait, and with a less interrupted breeding season there may be more fledglings.

Today’s ruling shows our federal environment laws are broken and aren’t protecting forests. The decision highlights the failing of the state and federal government to halt the destruction of our last stands of native forest and iconic species in them.

This means Blue Derby Wild will continue with, and step up, our collaborations with researchers, scientists, businesses and people passionate about biodiversity, wildlife and protecting the best bits of the North East — forests.

We are in the lead-up to a federal election and native forest logging is going to be a national issue. Australia is one of the worst offenders in species extinction in the developed world. If the Morrison Government wants to take action on environment and climate issues, it would end native forest logging.

The Tasmanian and federal governments have ignored public appeals, scientific advice, failed attempts at FSC certification, and a statutory review that says native forest logging must be reformed. It’s time for action. The PM has the power to be a leader for the environment like former PM Malcolm Fraser who stopped whaling or Bob Hawke who saved the Franklin.

Congratulations to the activists and the Bob Brown Foundation for taking on this legal action.

Louise Morris Co-ordinator Blue Derby Wild