Illegal rainforest logging case to be heard in April.
Environment East Gippsland had a win today as the Supreme Court decided that its rainforest logging case can go to trial after Easter, with VicForests not able to log the site in the meantime.
“VicForests was about to log illegally in a protected National Rainforest Site of Significance. We started this Court proceeding to stop them, so it was a big win for us today,” said Liz Ingham of Environment East Gippsland.
“We went to Court today prepared to fight more delays by VicForests. So we were delighted when His Honour Justice Jack Forrest suggested we bypass the preliminary hearings and go straight to trial as soon as possible.”
“This case is set against a background of concerns, raised by logging auditors and the public, over many breaches to the laws that protect rainforest. In fact the DSE is in the process of prosecuting VicForests for a separate serious breach of rainforest destruction now.”
“Meanwhile Mr Baillieu is considering giving even more powers to VicForests to oversee its own logging in publicly owned native forests. We hope this case will make him realise that VicForests is too reckless with the law to be given that responsibility.”
“Environment East Gippsland had to take VicForests to Court to prevent the illegal logging of the Brown Mountain forests, and here we are again stopping the illegal destruction of a protected rainforest reserve.”