Greens Leader Bob Brown says today's forests agreement between the Prime Minister and Tasmanian Premier fails to provide up front national park status for the one third of state forests (572,000 of 1,500,000 hectares) slated for protection, but is a better balance than the 'Heads of Agreement' document signed two weeks ago. 

Despite today’s downpour, a large crowd turned out in Hobart to celebrate Tasmania’s great wild forests and wildlife at a rally organised by Senator Bob Brown.
 
“This is a last minute message to the state and federal governments, and oppositions, that Tasmanians want our forests to be protected as a result of the forest agreement which, we are told, will deliver millions of dollars to the logging industry,” Senator Brown said. 

The Greens are hoping Saturday’s Hobart rally to celebrate Tasmania’s forests will match the turnout of “more than 200” (Mercury 4-8-11) to yesterday’s Liberal meeting in Launceston of people opposed to protecting forests.

The rally for Tasmania’s forest and future will be in the Parliamentary Gardens at 10:30am on Saturday.

Despite the forecast of showers Greens Leader Bob Brown said he expected some hundreds at the pro-forests gathering which aims to highlight the commercial employment and environmental promise of keeping Tasmania’s wild forests intact.

After last night’s expose by ABC TV’s ‘Foreign Correspondent’ program, Greens Leader Bob Brown has called on Prime Minister Gillard to seek a response from Jakarta. 

“What Australia saw last night, 5 years after John Howard sent $200 million to Indonesia to halt forest destruction, was vast rainforest logging, driving Sumatran tigers to extinction in the wild and destroying the livelihood and rights of local citizens.

As Prime Minister Julia Gillard is flagged to fly to Tasmania to sign her forest agreement with Premier Lara Giddings this weekend, a rally to celebrate Tasmania’s wild and scenic forests and their role in Tasmania’s future will be held in Hobart at 10:30am on Saturday (see poster).

We are coordinating the rally to highlight the huge public affection for Tasmania’s forests and wildlife” Greens Leader Senator Brown said in Hobart.

Bob Brown held a press conference on pulp mill, Tasmanian jobs, forestry heads of agreement, Mr Rudd's comments on Labor and the Greens and Port Arthur video and privacy.