The nationwide coverage of the massive log truck line up at Triabunna yesterday will hasten the end of native forest destruction in Tasmania, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

Congratulating the peaceful forest defenders who protested at Gunns woodchip mill, Senator Brown said that in terms of wildlife and Tasmania's natural beauty, the picture represented the axels of evil.

The Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has ignored the 20% or so of Australia's greenhouse emissions coming from logging and clearance of forests and woodlands as a huge low-cost opportunity to address climate change, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

"Logging, from the Tiwi Islands to Tasmania, is not needed for domestic wood needs as Australia has more than 1.5 million hectares of to-be-logged plantations for its paper and structural timber market," Senator Brown said.

Tuesday, 9 December 2008

Gunns Ltd has been required to pay $91,186 in costs for its dropped charges against Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown, former Tasmanian Greens Leader Peg Putt and author and environmentalist Helen Gee.

The three were defendants in the Gunns 20 case where in 2004, the day before it submitted plans for its pulp mill, Gunns sued 20 environmental organisations and individuals for some $6 million.

"This case will end up costing Gunns a lot more and already its legal bills are between half and one million dollars," Senator Brown said.

In Parliament last week Senator Brown described the case as a SLAPP writ (Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation).

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The Rudd government and Turnbull opposition have voted to continue logging koala habitat forests in NSW. The Senate voted 51-6 against Greens Leader Bob Brown's motion.

Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown's motion calling on the Rudd government to halt any federal funding for Forestry Tasmania's proposed Tarkine Road passed the Senate this afternoon without division.