It’s not workers vs the elite anymore; it’s environment vs business greed. What with temperatures rising, taps running dry, food becoming a valuable commodity – all coupled with peak oil – the economy, the environment and the voters are about to cop a serious body blow. It could be too late for changing governments priorities …
After the state government was caught out during and after the ’06 fires, thumbing its nose at its own planning regulations let alone Federal laws, these careless cowboys have now changed the laws to allow them to continue! Over 200 km of these lineal logging coupes were bulldozed through the heart of many intact and …
Thanks to all our supporters who emailed and phoned the State opposition members and the Attorney General. The Brumby Government’s plans to make the Freedom of Information laws ineffective by overhauling the Act, were voted out! The Liberals, Nationals and Greens used their numbers to vote against the controversial bill (the DLP voted with the …
Kevin Rudd made no commitment to greenhouse gas targets at the Bali Conference.Instead he said he’d wait until his chosen economist, Prof. Ross Garnaut, produced a report in umpteen months’ time. He needed to see what impact saving the world might have on our business and the economy.In late February, we were pleasantly surprised by …
The Australian Greens were shocked to learn that $6 million set aside for protecting biodiversity hotspots has not been spent and will be handed back to Federal Treasury. This was revealed in Senate Estimates on the 19th February 2008.This $6M was meant to buy high conservation value properties in Australia’s biodiversity ‘hotspots’. Senator Rachael Siewert …
There have traditionally been very few women in the halls of power, influence and industry. To fit into the blokey power culture some have had to be as tough as. Many started out spruiking for the logging industry or had close associations with logging heavyweights like Michael O’Connor. Our most famous woodchippers apprentice is Julia …
Brown Mountain was assessed and listed as an old growth National Estate area by the Commonwealth Heritage Commission in the 1980s. That means it has the same values as a National Park. The management of these areas were handed to the state government which promptly set about clearfelling them in 1989. The protests on Brown …
In 2006, the then premier, Steve Bracks, made a promise to protect all significant stands of old growth currently available for logging. This, with several other areas called icon forests amounted to about 41,000 ha. However, he also promised there would be no impact on the logging industry – an impossible undertaking. A few days …
All eight councillors of the Shire of Yarra Ranges voted in early December to oppose any further logging of their water catchments. They will ask our state’s Water Minister, Gavin Jennings, to stop VicForests plans to clearfell eleven logging coupes in the Armstrong and Cement Creek catchments. That area is the stronghold of the loggers …
If anyone had a flicker of optimism left that Peter Garrett might start to show some tiny verdant streak – even under his armpit or hidden deep behind his kidneys – sometime soon – then anticipate no more. We’re all wasting our hopefulness. He’s approved the Gunns pulpmill and now the dredging of the beautiful …
