Economy
Forestry on notice. Spirit, Global Protest. Mill Dossier. Cundall. Kelty. Gunns and FSC
Forestry Tasmania’s years of escaping scrutiny and responsibility for its greenhouse gas emissions from logging carbon-rich native forests are coming to end thanks to the Cancun climate agreements, the Australian Greens said today.
“The global community has long recognized that one of the cheapest and fastest ways of reducing emissions is to protect the massive carbon stores in the world’s forests,” Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
“At Cancun the rules about accounting for emissions from logging were clarified and it is expected that Australia will elect to include these emissions in our national accounts.
“The Federal Government will now have to substantially increase the transparency of its methods used to calculate native forest logging emissions, leaving Forestry Tasmania nowhere to hide.
“Until now emissions from logging and burning native forests were not counted under the Kyoto Protocol rules, allowing Forestry Tasmania to claim its operations were carbon neutral.
“But the atmosphere still sees the emissions even if, up till now, they have been quietly written off Australia’s carbon balance sheet.
“While rigorous accounting methodology will need to be developed to stop rorting and gaming of the system, the days of logging and burning with impunity are coming to an end.
“The forests are worth far more as carbon banks than they are as timber or woodchips.”
• TASMANIAN BANNER MARKS GLOBAL PROTEST ON FORESTS
This evening, four forest campaigners abseiled off the Spirit of Tasmania and hung a huge banner along the side of the ship, prior to its departure from Devonport. The 30 metre message read ‘Still Woodchipping the Spirit of Tasmania’. This peaceful protest signals the beginning of Australia’s involvement in 24 hours of action across the world for Tasmania’s ancient forests.
53 actions are planned in 21 countries, and 6 of the 7 continents, over the 14th and 15th of December, to highlight the immediate need for a full moratorium followed by formal legislated protection for Tasmania’s world-class forests.
“Right now, the clock is ticking for Tasmania’s ancient forests and the whole world is responding with the largest public show of international support for the protection of Tasmania’s forests in history” said Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Ula Majewski.
“From the tropical reefs of Vanuatu to a remote Eskimo village in Alaska, the global community is planning to send a very clear message to key decision-makers that our world-class forests need to be protected immediately” Ms Majewski said.
“Tasmania’s spectacular ancient forests, like those located in the Weld and Styx Valleys, are still being logged, roaded and woodchipped right now. The international and Australian communities are calling out for a full moratorium to be placed upon these world-class forests immediately, leading to formal legislated protection” said Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Jenny Weber.
One of the 53 world-wide actions will be held in Hobart tomorrow at 11:45am.
What’s happening around the world: http://tasforestaction.appspot.com/
• WEDNESDAY: LARGEST GLOBAL PROTEST IN HISTORY FOR TASMANIAN FOREST PROTECTION
WHEN: 11:45am today
WHERE: Franklin Square, Hobart
In Hobart today, conservationists will hold a peaceful action at Franklin Square to mark the momentous gathering of people across 21 countries calling for the immediate protection of Tasmania’s high conservation value forests.
“Today, we are seeing the biggest show of support for Tasmania’s ancient forests in history. The whole world is watching. Right across the globe, from Tokyo to Tanzania to a remote Eskimo village in Alaska, people are speaking out for the protection of our spectacular forests here in Tasmania” said Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Jenny Weber.
“The protection of Tasmania’s forests is a global issue. However, our high conservation value forests are still falling. We look forward to seeing this long awaited moratorium put in place immediately and urgent steps taken towards protecting these irreplaceable ecosystems forever” said Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Ula Majewski.
Over 24 hours, there are banner actions and film screenings planned for a number of locations in Tanzania, Reunion Island, Japan, Vanuatu, Thailand, India, France, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, England, Wales, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Scotland, Ecuador and the United States of America.
And around Australia people will be participating in the 24 hours of action in Tasmania – Hobart, Devonport, Bicheno and Launceston, Victoria – Melbourne and Glenburn, ACT – Canberra, SA – Adelaide, QLD – Brisbane and Noosa, WA – Perth, Balingup, Denmark, and Fremantle, and in NSW – Sydney, Lismore, Bega, Newcastle, Dorrigo, Bellingen, Bundagen, Byron Bay, and Uki.
Photos from actions around the globe can be viewed at www.nativeforest.net
Wednesday, 15th December 2010
• LARGEST GLOBAL FOREST PROTEST IN HISTORY FOR TASMANIA’S ANCIENT FORESTS
AS THE CLOCK STARTS TICKING
In Hobart today, conservationists held a peaceful action outside the General Post Office and in Franklin Square to mark the momentous gathering of people across 21 countries calling for the immediate protection of Tasmania’s high conservation value forests.
Two conservationists climbed lamp posts outside Hobart’s GPO and unfurled a banner stating ‘The clock is ticking’. 80 community members gathered in Franklin Square to show their support.
52 actions across the globe and around Australia over the past 24 hours have now coincided with the state and federal governments’ announcement that a moratorium on all high conservation value forests will be implemented from today.
“Today, we are seeing the biggest show of support for Tasmania’s ancient forests in history. People all over the world are speaking out for the protection of our spectacular forests here in Tasmania” said Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Jenny Weber.
“We cautiously welcome this morning’s announcement and look forward to a full moratorium and all logging ended in our spectacular high conservation value forests by 15th March 2011, leading to formal legislated protection” said Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Jenny Weber.
“From the Australian Embassy in Tokyo to Grand Central Station in New York City to the coral reefs of Vanuatu, the whole world is standing up for the protection of Tasmania’s threatened forests” said Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Ula Majewski.
Over 24 hours, there are banner actions and film screenings planned for a number of locations in Tanzania, Reunion Island, Japan, Vanuatu, Thailand, India, France, Norway, Belgium, Denmark, England, Wales, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Austria, Ireland, Scotland, Ecuador and the United States of America.
And around Australia people will be participating in the 24 hours of action in Tasmania – Hobart, Devonport, Bicheno and Launceston, Victoria – Melbourne and Glenburn, ACT – Canberra, SA – Adelaide, QLD – Brisbane and Noosa, WA – Perth, Balingup, Denmark, and Fremantle, and in NSW – Sydney, Lismore, Bega, Newcastle, Dorrigo, Bellingen, Bundagen, Byron Bay, and Uki.
To view a slideshow of action images from around the world, go to www.nativeforest.net
The international 24 hours of action for Tasmania’s ancient has been an historic occasion, with people right across the globe signalling their support for the immediate protection of Tasmania’s threatened high conservation value forests.
Images are still streaming in from around the world, but to download high resolution images please go to www.flickr.com/photos/stillwildstillthreatened/
Go to www.nativeforest.net to view a slideshow of global actions.
More images will be uploaded as they stream in.
• Peter Cundall in court:
Wait for Cundall over judgment
15 Dec, 2010 08:39 AM
ABC personality Peter Cundall will have to wait for a judgment on his claim that police were wrong to arrest him and other anti-pulp mill protesters in Hobart last year.
Mr Cundall, 83, was among 57 people arrested outside Parliament House last November during a protest against Gunns’ proposed pulp mill at Bell Bay.
They were all charged with failing to comply with a police direction.
Mr Cundall retired in 2008 as the presenter of the ABC TV program Gardening Australia.
He appeared before the Hobart Magistrates Court yesterday in proceedings that will serve as a test case for the other protesters.
On the day of the protest, the Parliament’s sergeant- at-arms Shane Donnelly asked the protesters to move from the building’s entrance to the lawns a short distance away.
But Mr Cundall’s lawyer Roland Browne argued that the law did not justify Mr Cundall’s arrest in the circumstances.
“The failure of people to respond to what the controlling officer asks does not lead to arrest,” Mr Browne told the court.
Mr Browne said the powers granted to Mr Donnelly under the Parliament House Act applied only to the grounds surrounding the building, and not the steps on which Mr Cundall was arrested.
• Bill Kelty appointed facilitator to find Tasmanian forests peace deal
FORMER ACTU secretary Bill Kelty has been handed the job of finding a final peace in the forests of Tasmania.
The well-known union leader has been appointed as “facilitator” to try to turn a landmark statement of principles agreed by conservationists and forest companies and workers into a lasting deal.
Mr Kelty told The Australian he accepted the role because he believed in the kind of push for consensus that the Hawke government initiated in the 1980s. “’I’m looking forward to it … this (finding consensus) is a good thing for nations to do,” he said.
He denied his 30 years representing the interests of workers constituted a bias in favour of timber workers over conservation outcomes. “There’s only one bias and that is to try to ensure the best outcome in terms of the public good,” he said.
Federal Sustainability and Environment Minister Tony Burke said this morning that Mr Kelty was the “perfect person” to pull off the difficult task, aimed at ending three decades of conflict over native forest logging in Tasmania.
However, he said the deal was unique because of the unprecedented level of agreement and goodwill between industry and green groups in Tasmania and did not create a precedent for reform of the forest industry nationally.
The announcement, with Tasmanian Labor Premier David Bartlett, begins the gradual phase-in of a moratorium of logging of high-conservation-value forests in Tasmania.
“Today’s announcement marks the start of two key processes for the next three months: a guaranteed sustainable quantity and quality of wood for the future of the timber communities and a progressive moratorium on the logging of high conservation value forests, in keeping with the agreement,” Mr Burke said in Hobart.
Full Matthew Denholm story in The Australian, HERE
• Gibney sells up
THE Tamar Valley is to lose one of its most famous celebrity residents with Packed to the Rafters star Rebecca Gibney putting her stunning riverfront home on the market.
Gibney and her husband, artist Richard Bell, are selling their four-bedroom “River Point House” on six hectares of land in a bend of the Tamar River at Kayena, north of Launceston, which they bought in 2002.
In 2007, the reticent Ms Gibney shot to local notoriety after attending anti-pulp mill rallies in Launceston protesting against Gunns Limited’s planned $2.2 billion pulp mill on the Tamar River.
The mill is to be located at Long Reach, less than 5km downstream from Gibney’s home.
The imminent sale of the luxury property, which has been rented out as an executive holiday home for the past year, coincides with new moves by Gunns to build its pulp mill with less opposition and with a hoped-for “community social licence”.
Sue Neales’ Mercury story HERE
• Download second edition of outline of facts and impacts relating to the proposed Pulp Mill in the Tamar Valley, Tasmania:
FTV_Dossier_2nd_ed_(11_10).pdf
Note: The only changes that were made to the document were to the footnotes and for the following reasons: Some of the anti-dossier comments revolved around some of the URLs in the footnotes where the documents were available, for example TWS, TAP websites, although the documents were not TWS or TAP documents. The footnotes were changed to properly cite the document and then in brackets indicated where the document was available online. In the course of doing so, it was discovered that about 3 or 4 documents available through www.justice.tas.gov.au the time the first version of the dossier was written were no longer available through that website. So they were found them elsewhere and corrected that, and checked all other footnotes at that time and made some other changes to the footnotes to flesh them out.
• Public briefing paper regarding Gunns ability to supply controlled wood as defined by FSC:
HERE
The PDF is sourced from:
HERE
• Earlier on Tasmanian Times:
Gunns: A company teetering on the edge?