24 November, 2010

Broken forest promises

Labor has broken their 2006 election promise to protect the last significant stands of old growth forest available to logging.  Only 11,000 hectares of the paltry 40,000 hectares they eventually protected this year is actually old growth.  

Brown Mountain and other old growth forests have subsequently been logged with the government actually in the logging business via their agency VicForests.  Most of the forest logged ends up as low value woodchips. not timber.

Logging in Melbourne's water catchments also continues despite clear scientific evidence it is decreasing Melbourne's water supplies and the logging industry is still keen to keep logging native forests despite dwindling jobs in the sector (Age 22/11).

The best John Brumby can do is to offer to facilitate "peace talks", while the Liberals have committed to continued logging that will destroy our remaining forests.  Labor and the Coalition have both abdicated responsibililty to save our remaining native forests and protect their biodiversity, despite overwhelming community support for this.

Its no suprise then that support is rising for the Greens, who have committed to an immediate logging industry transition to plantations. We need a referendum on protecting our native forests, not more broken promises and subterfuge from our governments.

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