Andrea Dawkins MP | Response to Joan Rylah
The Forest Peace Deal was proudly torn up by the current Liberal government loudly proclaiming the fulfilment of an election promise.
Mrs Rylah's suggestion yesterday that the Forest Peace Deal should be adhered to by the signatories is the height of hypocrisy. If the government wanted to rely on the peace deal they should not have ripped it up.
The Greens will always support peaceful and non violent protest at environmental destruction and any other issue of community concern.
The simple truth in the Lapoinya context is that the coupe endangers the viability of the habitat of species, now threatened and destroys this special forest in an act of vandalism by clear felling it. The local community has the right to peacefully protest and to make it clear to this government that they will not be intimidated.
Forestry Tasmania has been unable to build a case for the viability of logging Lapoinya and it continues to flout the basic premise of FSC accreditation when it ignores those directly affected by clear felling this beautiful forest.
We note the statement from the local community that the protest will only go ahead if all doors to negotiation with the Government are shut and we call on the Government to speak with the people at Lapoinya.