The campaign to save the NSW South East Forests was launched outside the Marrickville office of Environment Minister Carmel Tebbutt. Greens MPs, Councillors and supporters gathered outside Carmel’s office to ask the Labor Minister and Deputy Premier to end the un-sustainable practice of logging native forests.
The Greens are asking Carmel Tebbutt to:
- End the woodchipping of the South East native forests.
- Don’t renew the Eden Wood Supply Agreement that ends in September 2009.
- Block Eden Chip Mill’s proposal to build a power station fuelled overwhelmingly by native timber.
- Close the Eden Chip Mill. The money currently spent on subsidising this polluting industry should be diverted to investment in sustainable industries which would support the 130 workers currently employed by the mill operation.
Members of the campaign team were joined by a koala who had made its way to Sydney’s Inner West after being made homeless by the Eden Chip Mill operation.
You can see the three minute YouTube presentation of the koala’s journey here:
The koala was joined by Greens Bega Valley Shire Councillor Keith Hughes who said, “Ending wood chipping will protect endangered animals and save taxpayers millions of dollars which are now spent subsidising this industry.
Greens MP Lee Rhiannon is supporting the campaign initiated by Greens in the Bega and Eurobodalla area. Speaking at this morning’s launch, Lee said “Our forests are of far greater value as a carbon bank than as a shipload of woodchips heading to Japan.”
You can read the press release issued by Lee Rhiannon and Greens Councillors and the leaflet delivered by volunteers to residents near Carmel’s office.
