UPDATE 21
Feb 2011
-------Almost Autumnal greetings 
This late February update includes:
1) Court orders.
2) VicForests – more to come
3) Coalition on the record – surveys not good enough
4) Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act now shared by logging interests
5) Forests left out of carbon pricing
6) Forest booklet – photographers needed
7) Book now for the Easter Forests Forever Ecology Camp
8) Wipe for Wildlife – International Year of Forests
9) Duck Rescue help wanted
10) Ethical paper pledge
Court case – what’s happening?
VicForests was ordered to adhere to the Precautionary Principle and pay EEG 90% of our legal
costs. So VicForests has contracted out wildlife surveys in some forests planned for
clearfelling. Only some chosen areas are being surveyed while others are being logged. The
Minister refuses to answer our written questions regarding how these areas are chosen. We
will be pursuing this.
Our legal costs are still in their process pipeline and could take another 2-4 months until we
see them.
VicForests – more to come
VicForests has been caught out again – with recent newspaper reports in both the Weekly
Times and The Age showing them up as incompetent managers of both money and forests. Of
course the CEO David Pollard, defended their record saying they’ve been misrepresented. The
Minister responsible for them (Ag Minister Peter Walsh - Nationals) has also defended
VicForests.
This is despite even a pro-logging industry consultant, URS, being unable to hide the appalling
performance record for making a loss, being unable to regenerate thousands of hectares of
public land and overestimating log resources by 65%. . David Pollard was on the radio
indignantly telling the ABC program host that the millions it has obtained from the
government wasn’t a loan, it was overdraft.” ?!
We have obtained a copy of the URS report and our research department is currently going
over it. There’s more to be exposed yet – and it aint pretty!
Coalition complains about lack of surveys – on the record
There are some very interesting debates in Hansard going back to 2004 when VicForests was
being set up. Here is Phil Honeywood, then shadow Minister for the Environment:
“In particular the Victorian forest management system does not ensure that proper prelogging environmental assessment is undertaken. We also believe, leaving aside the
deficiencies in Victoria's biodiversity conservation legislation, the Flora and Fauna Guarantee
Act 1988 and its implementation, the Victorian forest management system fails to implement
the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act as well”.
Logging Minister now to decide on FFGA
Under Labor, the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act was administered by the Environment
Department - DSE. Under the Coalition, administration of key parts of the Act will be shared
by the Environment Department AND Agriculture i.e Peter Walsh's Department! Under the
changes, Peter Walsh will have a say under section 3 (Listing of species) and section 5 (Interim
Conservation Orders). This change came under ‘General Order for Administration of Acts’ –
and oh so quietly.
http://www.dpc.vic.gov.au/CA256D8000265E1A/page/ListingGeneral+Order+and+Supplements-General+Order!OpenDocument&1=80Guidelines+and+Procedures~&2=90-General+Order+and+Supplements~&3=0General+Order~
This is a blatant ploy to white ant the FFG process.
Carbon pricing and forests
"....forestry will be exempt under the carbon pricing mechanism announced yesterday." So
goes the joint media release from Greg Combe and Joe Ludwig on the 24th. We will see
Agriculture exempted and possibly the coal industry receive free permits to pollute or huge
compo. Now logging and land clearing, the cause of 20% of our country’s greenhouse gasses,
looks like being given a free ride under a carbon pricing scheme.
Photo book of East Gippsland
One of our members has a plan to produce a small 32 page booklet on the forests of East
Gippsland. She may be calling on our network of photographers to help us fill the pages. If
the project goes ahead it would be an A4 quality booklet of beautiful forest and eucalypt
photos that will sell for about $10. Will keep you posted.
Forests Forever 2011
The ever popular annual Easter Forests Forever Ecology Camp will be held again at Goongerah
this year, from 22nd – 25th April. Details and bookings are on line here. Please book early as
places are limited. (any more?)
IYF –
The United Nations has declared 2011 the International Year of the
Forests in an effort to raise awareness of sustainable management,
conservation and sustainable development of all forest types. The
Year of Biodiversity didn’t achieve much last year, but at least it might
raise awareness, even though we really need to raise hell.
Locally, Zoos Victoria’s conservation campaign 'Wipe for Wildlife' aims
to get people to protect forests by using recycled toilet paper.
Read more
> International Year of Forests – United Nations
> Wipe for Wildlife – Zoos Victoria
Join the 2011 duck rescue team
If you’d like to help our friends this duck shooting season – read on.
Just when our native waterbirds are struggling to breed up after 13 years of drought, a full 3month Victorian recreational duck shooting season has been announced by the new Baillieu
government, with over 20,000 licensed duck shooters allowed to take 10 birds per day.
There are only 15 wildlife officers to patrol the whole of Victoria and from inside information
we know there is no finance available to police the duck shooting season.
Our waterbirds need your help - join the Coalition Against Duck Shooting rescue team. We
will be protecting birds on the Opening weekend (March 19), and every weekend of the
season. Go to www.duck.org.au to join, or call Lynn on 0414 816 509.
Reflex action (a repeat request – so excuse if you’ve read it)
Reflex is made from ripping down the beautiful ash forests of the Central Highlands,
Melbourne’s water catchments and the home of the endangered state faunal emblem, the
Leadbeaters Possum. The Wilderness Society and other enviro groups have been trying
to negotiate a win-win outcome with the makers of Reflex paper for the last five years.
They have been given false promises and the royal run-around. Nothing has changed.
In the early days the paper company was known as APM, AMCOR, Paperlinx and then
Australian Paper. It’s now 100% Japanese owned – by Nippon; the very same company
that’s woodchipping East Gippsland’s forests.
So TWS have now begun a new campaign that goes for Nippon’s jugular. People are
being urged to not buy Reflex paper. Companies and businesses are being asked to
pledge not to use Reflex, and the major sellers of Reflex are also being targeted as
having blood on their hands. An ethical paper website has been set up which gives
alternatives to Reflex paper: www.ethicalpaper.com.au/index.php?sign=petition
Please sign up now as individuals, and spread far and wide. If you are an organisation, or
know of anyone who could sign on behalf of an organisation or business, please pass on to
sign the pledge.
Please click here and sign on the Ethical Paper pledge
Read more here <(newspaper article)
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-----Ryan Smith: Minister for the Environment, Climate Change ryan.smith@parliament.vic.gov.au
Peter Walsh: Minister for Agriculture, Food, Water peter.walsh@parliamanet.vic.gov.au
Ted Baillieu: Premier email address?