Northern Beaches locals travel “overseas” to protect native forests

But no, they’re still clear-felling old growth trees in the north and south of our state like there’s no tomorrow. And most are being turned into low grade wood chips – not houses or furniture.  (Australia has more than enough plantations to meet its wood needs).

What’s worse, this is being carried out by the loss making, government-owned, NSW Forestry Corporation which is propped up by taxpayers like you and me. This instrumentality has been fined numerous times for illegal practices – quite a feat when you think that forestry operations are largely exempt from environmental laws.

Appalled at the ongoing loss of biodiversity (including koalas) from industrial logging, the Bob Brown Foundation organised a national “March in March” to call for an end to this destructive industry.

As many Peninsula residents care deeply about this issue, quite a few took the almost unprecedented step of crossing the harbour to join the event at Hyde Park (yes there is life on the other side of the water). It was a beautiful, colourful, peaceful, creative, vibrant affair with amazing signage, exquisite outfits and a flock of handmade parrots on poles whose wings flapped when their strings were tugged.

Earlier in the same week, pro-logging lobbyists had been given special access to meet politicians inside parliament house. The community didn’t enjoy such privileges, but their message echoed loud and clear from the streets. “Stop native forest logging now!”

Frightful forestry facts

1. Only half of Australia’s pre 1788 forests remain uncleared.
2. Approximately 500,000 hectares of land are cleared in Australia every year.
3. Between the years 2000 and 2017, 7.7 million hectares
   of known threatened species habitat were cleared. 
4. For every 100 hectares of land cleared, approximately 15,000 reptiles, 2,000 birds and 500 native mammals perish.
5. In 2020, NSW Forestry’s hardwood division made a loss of $28 million. The corporation received $247 million in grants.
6. If Australia was to stop logging native forests, we would reach our legislated 43% greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030
7. The biggest donor to the ALP in the 2022 Federal election was the forestry union CFMEU
8. Australia has the second highest rate of biodiversity loss on the planet (after Indonesia).
9. NSW now has penalties of up to $22,000 or 2.5 years in gaol for people who peaceably try and stop the felling of trees for woodchips
10. Today more than one million of the planet’s eight million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction.

Which all begs the question: If a tree falls in state forest and taxpayer money doesn’t subsidise NSW Forestry’s losses, does a Koala bear the cost?