Brown loses logging battle

Michael Stedman Mercury

TASMANIAN Greens senator Bob Brown has lost his two-year fight to prevent logging in the Wielangta Forest. Forestry Tasmania applauded yesterday’s decision by the High Court not to hear a challenge against logging in the southeast forest. Read more here

What Bob Brown said …
“23rd May, 2008

High Court, 2 – 1, rejects Tasmanian endangered species appeal

In a 2 – 1 split judgement (Crennan, Hayne – Kirby) the High Court has rejected Greens Leader Bob Brown’s application to appeal against the full Federal Court’s decision which overruled Justice Marshall’s 2006 ban on logging in Tasmania’s Wielangta Forest.

Justice Marshall found that logging under Forestry Tasmania’s management damaged the habitat of 3 nationally-listed endangered species, the Swift Parrot, Wielangta Stag Beetle and giant Tasmanian Wedgetail eagle.

Two months after Justice Marshall’s ban, then Prime Minister Howard and Premier Lennon altered the Regional Forest Agreement to agree that, despite the court, it did protect the rare species. The High Court effectively ruled today that this alteration, which has no parliamentary approval, overrode Justice Marshall’s judgement.

“Today’s ruling failed the nation’s environment. Prime Minister Rudd should revoke the Howard-Lennon change to the RFA which pulled the rug from under the court process, Senator Brown said.

“Prime Minister Rudd and his Environment Minister can and should save the species being hounded to extinction by the logging and burning of Australia’s wild forests,” Senator Brown said.

The Court, citing the public interest, did not award costs against Senator Brown. However he now faces costs of some $200,000 from the Federal Court proceedings in 2007.