Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 14 August 2023

Shameful Tassie’s Single-Rider

In a scene out rivalling the world’s worst logging, a single-rider log from a downed giant native tree was trucked out of the Florentine Valley today. Bob Brown described the state and federal government-authorised destruction of the euclyptus regnans as ‘globally shameful’.

“Just days ago this wonder of nature, centuries old but still unimaginable strong and youthful, was alive and a natural wonder. Today the tree’s death is a national disgrace: it was publicly subsidised and entirely unnecessary. Despite what we see on that truck, most of the tree remains on the forest floor and will be incinerated by Forestry Tasmania, putting tonnes of carbon dioxide into the air. And with it has gone the birds, mammals and other wildlife which for centuries have lived in and around that tree. It’s destruction is despicable official vandalism,” Bob Brown said today.

“I will join others in going to the forest tomorrow to see how we can help stop this slaughter which aims at felling more giants in the days ahead. This is in the same valley in which El Grande, the biggest known tree in the Southern Hemisphere, was burnt to death by Tasmania’s forest authorities in 2003. This week’s national Labor conference should put an end to such deeply unpopular forest destruction, just as Malcolm Fraser ended whaling in 1978,” Brown said.

LABOR CONFERENCE BILLBOARD BLITZ

C’MON ALBO: END NATIVE FOREST LOGGING

The Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre hosting Labor’s national conference has been surrounded by billboards calling for an end to native forest logging (see photos below).

A national campaign for Australia to end logging (as a New Zealand Labour government did in 2002) is being co-ordinated by the Bob Brown Foundation and began with rallies across the nation last weekend. There will be a rally outside the Brisbane Conference this Saturday to complement the billboards.

“This is a hugely popular move for the Albanese government to make. Albo has the corporate and trading powers to quickly put an end to Australia’s native forests being traded or exported. It is also the cheapest and quickest way for the PM to achieve his target of 43% reduction in greenhouse gases and for Tanya Plibersek to avoid looming extinctions of forest birds and mammals,” BBF’s campaign manager Jenny Weber said today.

Eighteen billboards across inner North, East and South Brisbane – including two billboards where the ALP National Conference is taking place, as well as enroute from the airport to the city – are sending Albo a very personal message. “C’mon Albo. It’s Time. End Native Forest Logging” and “Save This Giant From The Chainsaws” will appear over heads for the next week.

Rally for Native Forests will start at Musgrave Park at 9am on Saturday 19 August and then March to outside Labor’s national conference.

BOOHOO: Voucher Scheme Rolled Out for Specialty Timbers Stimulus.