It’s the kind of destruction we’re used to hearing about in the rainforests of South-east Asia, not in our own backyard. The Auditor General’s investigation into the Yalmy Road illegal logging during the 2003 fires, was released in early May. It criticises the Bracks government for allowing three laws and 17 prescriptions and guidelines to …
When the new VicForests office took over the native forest logging ‘shop’, they came in with a nice new broom. Mill owners will have to compete for logs by bidding for them when their license runs out over the next few years. Meanwhile their current license for logs has had a 17-25% price increase. This …
Environment East Gippsland will challenge the government in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal over their refusal to release under FOI, names in the documents relating to the looting of the Snowy National Park during the fires of February 2003. Over the past two years we have: endured months of being mucked around by the …
The Tasmanian woodchipping company, Gunns, could be eyeing off Victoria’s forests. The controversial logging giant could be considering buying Victoria’s native forests as either a direct bidder or by buying from other bidders, under the Bracks Government’s new auction system. The Gunns logging empire has already spread to Western Australia. Planned pulpmill hungry for woodchipsIf …
The East Gippsland RFA had its eighth anniversary on the 3rd February. We were told all that time ago that it was to protect the forests, but conservation promises have never been honoured while woodchipping volumes have more than doubled. The five yearly review has not happened. It is now totally obsolete and should be …
After months of delays, the EPA has released its report on the Audit it carried out in the middle of 2004, of logging compliance to the Code of Forest Practice. Each year the EPA selects a sample of logging coupes across Victoria and assesses how the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) and loggers have …
A Supreme Court judge has ruled that the Bracks government’s environmental code for logging native forests (Code of Forest Practices) is enforceable under law. Prior to this ruling, DSE argued that the only lawful requirements were that the coupe be in a logging zone and that the loggers have a licence to log. The ruling …
The Tasmanian Government will declare Gunn’s planned $1.2 billion pulpmill (one step along the production line from woodchips) as a Project of State Significance. This will allow it to be fast tracked and bypass many environmental and other planning regulations. It recently released proposed amendments to planning laws to ensure a smooth approvals process for …
Will protests against corporations become illegal? Twenty Tasmanian campaigners speaking out against Gunns Ltd, the Tasmanian woodchip company, are being sued for almost $6.4 million. They are accused of conspiracy and interference with trade and business. The 216-page writ was filed in the Victorian Supreme Court on 14th January and targets outspoken environmentalists including Peg …
he possible merger of three East Gippsland sawmills, Terra Timbers, Auswest and Austimbers, was announced in mid-November. This is rather good news for forests as it reflects the ever-increasing difficulty in selling native forest hardwood in a market now dominated by pine. These mills are unable to stay afloat unless they cut back on costs …
