Premier Steve Bracks’ new proposed law would make forest destruction invisible to the public. It would be illegal for anyone to witness or gather information on the logging. The law would ensure clearfelling was done in secret. One of the basic skills of forest campaigning is to learn to “read between the lines” of Government …
In early November, the logging industry launched a new self-certified standard of logging in Australia. It claims its practices are now acceptable on a global scale. Australian Forestry Standard Their self-certification scheme (invented by the industry for the industry) is called the Australian Forestry Standard (AFS). An equally dubious international group called the Program for …
The World Wide Fund for Nature (Australia) is already under fire for being too close to the Howard government. The Australia Institute in its report ‘Taming the Panda’ notes WWF have received over $13 million in grants from them since 1998 and in return, ” .can usually be relied upon to praise the Howard Government’s …
Trish Caswell has had been well briefed since she joined the Victorian Association of Forest Industries in April. In an interview on ABC radio (30th July) she parroted the exact same industry rhetoric we’ve heard for decades: the need for ‘sustainability’, no job losses, that it’s better to log our forests than poorer countries’ forests, …
An investigation by the Potoroo Review has found Melbourne’s Herald Sun deploying WMD (Wanton Media Deceptions). This time their WMDs were discovered to be a couple of grubby little articles that tried to link a number of unrelated crimes to forest campaigners in the Central Highlands. It’s just another example of logging industry inspired propaganda …
This deceptive new brand invented by a desperate old industry is claiming environmentally friendly credentials while still clearfelling. Part of the eco-Select propaganda shows a dainty cello player singing a forest to sleep. But next morning the loggers come along and wipe it off the face of the earth (that’s the bit they don’t show). …
Neville Smith Timber Industry or NSTI, is a name we should all take note of. It’s based in Heyfield, Central Gippsland and is painting itself as ‘forest friendly’. NSTI are involved in: Ads depicting beautiful forests, furniture and musical instruments, implying native forests don’t suffer a broken twig in their making. Investment in …
State and commonwealth ministers were lured in to launch a new “Australian Forestry Standard” (AFS) rubber stamp last October. The stamp certifies plundered native forest products. The tick of approval tries to reassure buyers that their timber is environmentally ticketty – boo. No logging operation anywhere will have to change its plunderous ways to get …
In a six week frenzy of destruction, during March and April, four coupes totaling 90 hectares of Goolengooks best forest were clearfelled. It is estimated to have cost the police and NRE up to $2 million to carry out the operation. The royalty gained from the destruction of these timeless forests was a piddling $100,000. …
Don’t be deluded, the latest logging ‘cut-backs’ are little more than a huge spin-doctoring excercise. It’s business-as-usual for the big boys with a few small players out of the show. Not one tree will be saved. Their slight reduction in the small end of the industry doesn’t mean a reduction in area, it’s just a …
