DEAR News Of The Area,

DECISION time is here for the ALP over what to do with our local forests.

Environment Minister Penny Sharp has no excuse for continued inaction.

She was a member of the NSW Upper House Committee that heard, here in Coffs Harbour and around the State, unequivocal scientific evidence of the poor state of the local forest ecosystems, including the local extinction threat to our koalas. She was one of the signatories to that Committee’s unanimous final report so she knows the truth.

Decision time too for the Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN).

They have failed to move their State and Federal Party leaders on fossil fuel expansion, whether at Narrabri in NSW, Barrup in WA, or the Beetaloo Basin in the NT.

They have failed to ensure Minister Sharp lives up to her pre-election promises about the Great Koala National Park (consistent with the ALP’s broken promises over the Jetty Foreshore).

Finally, at the recent ALP National Conference LEAN failed to get a commitment from the Federal Government to end native forest logging by Federal action.

LEAN’s own website, in between telling us they all had a wonderful time wearing their green t-shirts at conference, boasts that they extracted a promise that before the next election the Federal ALP Government would release a Forestry Statement. That’s it.

The NSW Government clearly does not realise the significance of the strong network of forest protection groups now on the Mid North Coast.

Too numerous to list, we are of every age, gender and degree of radicalism.

But, whatever our differences, we will not allow the continued destruction of our fragile forests and fragile landscapes.
In this on-the-ground fight LEAN are nowhere to be seen, their allegiance to the party over-riding the concern for the environment they so proudly proclaim in the title of their organisation.

They should either change their name to the Labor Environment Inaction Network or join us in some actual environmental action, out in the forests.

The Government will lose this fight and the ALP will continue to lose environmental-minded voters and activists who see the hollow opportunism of the ALP’s $5-each-way policy.

What an irony, that before the last election the Liberals had a secret plan to end native forest logging (over-ruled by the Barilaro wing of the Coalition), and the ALP promised us sustainable forestry and a Koala Park and now plan to leave us well short on both.

But at least the Greens continue to have a thoughtful, scientifically-based, native forest transition policy that enjoys increasing local support, so that’s nice.

Regards,
Sean TUOHY,
Bellingen.