State Forests Above The Law
Logging Vandals Let Loose By Premier
The National Parks Association today warned of enormous damage to forests and to regional economies unless major changes are made to a new forestry law now being rushed through Parliament. (The Forestry and National Parks Estate Bill 1998)
"Premier Carr proposes to exempt the State Forests agency from the Environment Planning and Assessment Act. His new law also proposes to remove public rights to prosecute State Forests if the agency pollutes streams or rivers or kills endangered species or destroys their forest habitat, " said Noel Plumb, Executive Officer of NPA.
"This would put State Forests above the laws which control every other state agency and every private developer, miner or logger in NSW. Without the control of the EP&A Act, this notorious environmental vandal will effectively be removed from public scrutiny and proper environmental assessment every time it wants to change the ground rules on logging."
"How will rural communities feel when their rivers run red with mud, their town drinking supplies are polluted, their fishing industry nurseries destroyed and their nature based tourism industry undermined?"
"This new law takes us back 20 years. Its as though the community law cases to force State Forests (previously the Forestry Commission of NSW) to carry out Environmental Impact Statements for major logging operations and changes to environmental rules for logging had never happened. There will be no check on them except Ministerial discretion, a doubtful proposition, when they move to log streamside buffer strips and the sides of mountains and to clearfell whole catchments."
"Its as though 90,000 tonnes of soil erosion in Oakes State Forest is unimportant, that 1000 hectare clearfells in Eden are again acceptable, that its OK to destroy Chaelundi State Forest's veritable "arboreal zoo". All these issues were the subject of successful landmark actions in the Land and Environment Court in the last ten years. Cases taken by ordinary citizens against State Forests for environmental vandalism under the public rights now to be removed by the 'green' Premier."
"Whether they are south coast communities, north coast residents or city people who cherish clean water, wildlife and our old growth and wilderness forests, all of them need to tell the Premier loud and clear ' "IT'S NOT ON"."
The NPA urges concerned citizens to contact the Premier and the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Collins, about this outrageous legislation.
For comment: Noel Plumb 02 9233 4660 or 018 975 075
NATIONAL PARKS
ASSOCIATION OF NSW INC
PO Box A96 Sydney South 1235
Ph: (02) 9233 4660 Fax: (02) 9233 4880
For more information contact the National Parks Association office (Kristi Macdonald or John Macris) on (02) 9233 4660.
13 November 1998