In response to public outrage by yet another case of approving unlawful logging by DSE, Minister for the Environment, John Thwaites, has asked the EPA to look into several cases and report back to him. However, the EPA is only to look at where the failings are in the system and make recommendations. No doubt …
People might remember our expose — of the secret “East Gippsland Old Growth Project” in winter 2005. Well, the DSE have come out at last to sell it as a positive project. You might remember we reported its purpose was to try and convince the public or the DSE Minister (or both) that old growth …
Gippsland has Australia’s largest processor of native hardwoods. The Neville Smith Timber mill at Heyfield, north of Traralgon, is losing sales due to consumer preference for pine. A plan to find new markets for its Mountain Ash timber has seen it unveil a stamp called GoodWood. They even hired the National Gallery of Victoria for …
Well-known weatherman and environmentalist, Rob Gell, has inadvertently helped Victorian loggers look green and their practices look ‘sustainable’. The Victorian Association of Forest Industries 2005 Sustainability Report was released in late November with the help of Rob. Rob’s position on VAFI’s ‘Community Council’ was used by VAFI and the media to show that a respected …
Howard secretly promised a $4 million gift to a forestry union group just three days before the last election. This explains why the loggers, with encouragement from the union, rejected an $800 million forest jobs package offered by Mark Latham, for the $70 million package offered by Howard. This and the jubilant response by loggers …
Howard secretly promised a $4 million gift to a forestry union group just three days before the last election. This explains why the loggers, with encouragement from the union, rejected an $800 million forest jobs package offered by Mark Latham, for the $70 million package offered by Howard. This and the jubilant response by loggers …
Bob Humphries, owner of the big Cann River sawmill, is sore over new prices for logs and wants the government to reduce royalty prices to below cost price . He says demand for native forest timber is falling and they can’t get as much for sawn timber any more. After decades of receiving welfare in …
In 2003 it was the Snowy River National Park. Now in 2005 it’s the Errinundra National Park that has been illegally logged. Lazy or incompetent Government foresters have this time marked a logging coupe boundary inside the National Park. Large old trees were felled and the surrounding understorey bulldozed. All up the area destroyed was …
The Australian Environment Foundation fell flat on its face right from the start. Even the gullible and tame journalists from rural media didn’t swallow their lines. A well-known woodchipping industry supporter and lobbyist, Kirsten Gentle, launched a US style front group on World Environment Day. The attempt to mimic a highly respected national environment group, …
The largest paper mill in Australia is based in Gippsland and is planning to expand – with the government’s full blessing and financial assistance. It will need an additional 200,000 m3 of eucalypt pulpwood. But where will it come from? PaperlinX, maker of Reflex copy paper, was formally known as APM, Amcor and is now …
