Rudd and Gillard – not the tree hugging types

After Beazley bit the dust in 2006, the shiny new Federal Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd travelled to Tasmania. He stated that Mark Latham’s rescue package for the forests back in 2004 was all wrong and Mark didn’t properly take on board the loggers wants. Rudd rewarded Peter Garrett for lying about Greens preferences by making him Opposition Environment spokesman, so why didn’t Garrett get invited to Tassie?

In 2004, Garrett described the Tasmanian logging industry as “logging gone mad” and “carnage in the forests.” (Women’s Weekly, 30 June 2004). Just a year earlier he said that “in the Tasmanian forests both parties currently share the shame of supporting ongoing destruction of old growth and rain forests” (Address to National Press Club, 19 June 2003). But what’s he saying now?

As for Julia Gillard – it’s no secret about her very close personal and political ties with Michael O’Connor of the loggers union. Her clear pro-logging performance at the last Federal election has also given us no faith in her ability to make sensible decisions.