Federal governments of all persuasions have historically protected and funded Australia’s forest destruction.
Federal governments of all persuasions have historically protected and funded Australia’s forest destruction.
The appointment of a Threatened Species Commissioner should represent a move forward. However, it may be merely a distraction from the environmental crisis unfolding. GREG HUNT, the Federal Minister for the Environment, today announced what appears to be one of the only environmental promises kept from the Coalition’s election campaign in 2013: to appoint a …
A lethal bait called “curiosity”, designed to kill feral cats, will be a priorityof a new national commissioner to save threatened species. On Wednesday Environment Minister Greg Hunt announced the new commissioner would be Gregory Andrews – a former diplomat who currently works for the federal Environment Department – as part of a CSIRO-backed review …
The Abbott government has given $15 million to AID THE BURNING OF FORESTS. Tasmanian Liberal Senator Richard Colbeck (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture) has set up a ‘National Bushfire Mitigation Program’ supposedly for more deliberate burning of the forest understorey and midstorey. It will kill off huge areas of ground level wildlife and …
Serious deficiencies have been found in the Department of Environment’s monitoring of major projects, according to a report from the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO). The ANAO audited the department’s compliance with the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, finding there was “limited awareness” of the progress of many developments. “The increasing workload on compliance …
The Abbott government’s plan to trust environmental protection to the states will put our country’s natural landmarks in danger. I am a big believer in states’ rights, but you’ve got to know where to stop. If there’s one thing the Abbott government’s Commission of Audit got right it’s that our system of eight separate states …
The economy has become a symbol for politicians to exploit rather than a system for them to manage. Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s recent speech about Tasmania highlights that talking about the economy is something politicians like to do, but making good economic decisions has become an optional extra. His speech, to the forestry industry last …
There is a parallel-universe feeling to the federal government’s hostile attitude towards the natural environment. In one universe, conservation and climate change are elements to be respected or brought under control for the very real benefit of everyone. In the other, nature is to be exploited with little restraint, and short-term political motivation is far …
Mountain cattlemen expect cows will return to Victoria’s Alpine National Park this month after federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt approved a controversial grazing trial – despite the Australian Academy of Science damning it as scientifically flawed. Sixty cattle can be released into a 262-hectare site in the Wonnangatta Valley in the first year of the …
TONY Abbott is under attack for “reckless politics” after he followed in John Howard’s footsteps by declaring Australia has “too much locked-up forest” and acclaiming forestry workers as “the ultimate conservationists”. The Prime Minister’s comments in Canberra on Tuesday night earned applause from a gathering of timber industry representatives and came 11 days from the …
WELLINGTON Shire Council has asked its chief executive officer David Morcom to prepare a report into the feasibility of establishing a school of timber and forestry education precinct within the shire. Mr Morcom will investigate if the school is achievable and needed; if there would be industry support; if education providers are available; if the …
