Baillieu’s new logging party
Baillieu seems to have handed his government over to miners and loggers to run. Its latest Timber Industry Action Plan which was released on 13th December could have been written by the logging industry at a bucks party.
What this plan does is try to squeeze every last tree from every last corner.
Here’s what else they plan –
• logging in parks and water catchments under the guise of ‘ecological thinning’.
• burning native forests for energy.
• rather than 5 year contracts, they are offering 20 year contracts,
• massive payouts if they can’t meet this optimistic 20 year commitment,
• hanging laws to avoid any scrutiny or having to protect the environment,
• shamelessly converting logged forests into plantations suited for commercial uses
• approval to convert prime agricultural land into plantations if under 40 ha
• any good eco-certification system will be made worthless
• gives power to VicForests to set their own level of logging
• will pay for legal cases brought against VicForests for their unlawful logging
• tax payers, not VicForests would foot the bill for policing blockades
The next few years will be challenging!
What can be done? We need Liberal voters to exhibit extreme conservative outrage (especially in marginal seats). That’s what will hurt this government. They are oblivious to logic, moral arguments or science.