23 January 2009

Forestry protestors to make Kate Lundy do some work

| mikeeSWST
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Help save the Upper Florentine – Forestry Tasmania is smashing into Pristine Wilderness RIGHT NOW!!!!

At the heart of Tasmania’s Southern Forests, wild rivers flow through valleys containing forests which evolved from the ancient continent of Gondwanaland. In the valleys of the Styx, UpperFlorentine, Middle Huon, Weld, and Upper Derwent flourish some of the world’s oldest and mostspectacular ecosystems. Magnificent oldgrowth Eucalypt forests, the world’s tallest hardwoodtrees, and ancient Tolkienesque rainforest lap against those parts of the south west landscape that have received protection. Along the eastern boundary of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, encircled by incredibly beautiful mountains and alpine regions that are protected,these large areas of pristine forest are intentionally left unreserved. These forests have been given a death sentence, at the hands of the woodchippers. These areas have been identified by experts including government bodies as being of World Heritage in their own right and as being significant for maintaining the integrity of the existing protected areas.

WHERE: Kate Lundy’s office (Ground floor, Law Society Building, 11 London Circuit, Civic), and then onwards to other Politicians, to deliver letters calling for a moratorium on logging in these World Heritage recommended areas of Tasmania’s Old Growth Forests.

WHEN: Thursday the 29th of January, 12. 30 onwards

Areas of World Heritage value adjacent to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area e.g. the Styx, Upper Derwent, Weld, Middle Huon and Upper Florentine. Oldgrowth forest communities including Eucalyptus regnans, the world’s tallest flowering plant and hardwood tree with individuals growing to over 90 metres. Habitat including for endangered animals and plants, such as the Wedge-tailed Eagle which is facing a 90% chance of extinction in Tasmania.1

The logging of old-growth forests destroys and removes habitat needed for the survival of species that depend on them. The destruction of habitat through activities like logging has been identified as the main past (and present) cause of the endangerment and extinction of species in all vegetated countries on Earth. This has led to serious declines in both the abundance and distribution of many plant and animal species. Present reserve systems have been extensively criticised by the scientific community for failing to protect biodiversity and individual species.

PROTEST FOR THE WILDERNESS AND ACTIVISTS OF THE UPPER FLORENTINE IN TASMANIA

This long blockaded, and much loved Forest, is part of a beautiful and now rare, discreet Wilderness valley, recommended for inclusion in the World Heritage register. The blockade protecting the valley has been pulled down by police in preparation for the logging road now begun. Every day sees dedicated Activists doing their dangerous jobs, and being arrested.

Please come along to this action in the Nation’s Capital. The media and the politicians in Canberra should know that the Forests haven’t been forgotton, that this is an important issue, that we too care what happens in that Wilderness in Tasmania – for every precious Forest we have left!

ALSO: Gorman House Letter writing and information stall…this Saturday morning, 24th Jan. For more information, please call Keri, 6257 7093

Spread the Word!

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Can’t even find an oils CD to play to the younger relations.

Which brings me back to a 1980s documentary on a northern NSW protest. An older, local gentleman was called those greenies dirty, unkempt etc, with definite disgust and hatred in his voice. The only thing was, he had obviously just walked in from a day on the farm – ploughing, working in the shed on his tractor, whatever – he was covered with oil and soil from head to toe.

Any comments about dirty greenies (making them olives?) always bring that one to mind. i hope the author of post#8 showered before posting!

Yes. My hero! Gone …. Gone!!

*sniff*

good question!

I cannot believe Peter Garret has okey-ed that new pulp mill.

“why do they take it out on the working class of Tasmania?”

There are far more non-forestry workers in Tasmania that get a lot less government support/funding. Forestry workers have been subsidised long enough.

Gunns have screwed its workers, on tight contracts, that see many of them working massive hours just to meet plant/equipment repayments.

Question. If the the new huge pulp mill is not going to use old-growth forests. Why are we still cutting old-growth, when there must plenty of other timber to feed the new mill?

mikeeSWST said :

The jobs will be gone once they’ve cut it down anyway ….

Reminds me of the infamous destruction of the ecosystem on Easter Island because everybody knew that big, dumb statuey things were more important than any old trees.

Sometimes it boggles my mind that we can be so stupid.

Who cares if letter writing isn’t fun! What’s fun got to do with it?

sry, can’t help but bite:

And how dumb was the communist hippie responsible for this post? Kate is a puppet of the CFMEU – the “f” stands for forestry. Duh!

rly? what would be the point of rallying the office of an already committed minister ffs??

“Just because these bums don’t believe in having jobs and bludge off everyone else”

care to support that statement somehow? (without making random cracks at an unrelated political party?)

Mervyn Keane11:19 am 24 Jan 09

Just because these bums don’t believe in having jobs and bludge off everyone else – a certain Greens MLA who stayed in public housing springs to mind – why do they take it out on the working class of Tasmania?

Homocles the Sodomite9:43 pm 23 Jan 09

Er… last time I looked Tasmania wasn’t in Kate Lundy’s electorate.

And how dumb was the communist hippie responsible for this post? Kate is a puppet of the CFMEU – the “f” stands for forestry. Duh!

These forestry workers have been saying that they can’t do any other work for about 50 years – we must be onto the second generation by now. Can’t they find anything else for them to do in Tassie – let’s sponsor them to become road crews – the roads down there are pretty narrow.

It is criminal to destroy these ancient trees for woodchips.

Those greenie bastards deserved it. How would you feel trying to do your job and having a bunch of dirty ferals in your way all the time? I cheered the attacks on the greenies and hope they continue. When it comes to a choice between a bunch of filthy, unkempt hippies and decent Aussies trying to do a good day’s work in an industry that employs thousands of hardworking men I’ll choose the workers every time.

The jobs will be gone once they’ve cut it down anyway, most of the profits leave australia, and tourism is the fastest growing industry in tasmania atm. I for one see no point in smashing a future sustainable industry that brings money IN for the sake of disposable chopstick covers and a minority of rednecks who refuse (or are flat-out too dumb) to reskill.

Carbon sinks maybe? Not sure theres that many jobs on a dying/dead planet hey? I’ve been in the florentine and stix logging coupes, the amount of methane alone that seeps out of the ground in fresh clear-fell is incredibly noticable, let alone CO2 (odourless, colourless, more abundant)

But yeah, jobs eh? *claps*

Decent Aussies don’t attack hippies in the night then run away. Cowards do.

shame it’s a useless industry surviving on being given for just about free the right to hack down trees that belong to all of us.

blueberry said :

forestry workers violently attacking peaceful protesters Setting fire to their camps and endangering their lives.

Have a look on you tube there is a video that one of the protesters took of their camp being attacked.

Those greenie bastards deserved it. How would you feel trying to do your job and having a bunch of dirty ferals in your way all the time? I cheered the attacks on the greenies and hope they continue. When it comes to a choice between a bunch of filthy, unkempt hippies and decent Aussies trying to do a good day’s work in an industry that employs thousands of hardworking men I’ll choose the workers every time.

TroyWilliams3:41 pm 23 Jan 09

Gorman House Letter writing and information stall…

What fun !

I get the feeling that it might be a little different this time.
There has been a lot in the news about this and a lot of bad bad things have happened.

For example: forestry workers violently attacking peaceful protesters Setting fire to their camps and endangering their lives.

Have a look on you tube there is a video that one of the protesters took of their camp being attacked.

I know of at least one Canberra who has been in Tassie working really hard to protect this really important piece of history and some of the stories she has told me are horrifying. They witnessed the forestry workers attacking and beating their friends and the police doing nothing to help.

I really recommend that every one at least reads up on the Florentine Blockade and the precious Bush land that they were protecting.

This is not just some hippy whinge it is truly a precious and unique part of Australian and Australian History and it is being chopped down for what? To be sent overseas as wood chip to make toilet paper.

I happened to be passing the last time they did this. Nothing happened and a total of 6 people showed up in support. I saw two news crews – but nothing on the news of it. Obviously 6 people standing outside a building does not attract attention.

It’s at times like these that I miss working in a politicians office.

…actually I’d be the one who’d have to write the evasive, generally and partially sympathetic but ultimately meaningless response letter. Never mind.

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