2019-04-24
You just can’t trust Labor on environment laws overhaul after the Victorian Labor government increases the native forest area open to logging, say the Australian Greens.
"This is a disastrous decision by the Andrews Labor government," said Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens forests spokesperon.
"For the Victorian Labor government to increase the area of forest to be logged and extend native forest logging to 2028 is a disaster for our forests, a disaster for our climate, a disaster for water security, and a disaster for threatened animals."
"Federal Labor has committed to overhauling Australia’s environment laws because they are failing to protect the environment and our threatened species. That must include overhauling the logging laws that allow our native forests to be destroyed mainly for woodchips, despite the impact of this logging on threatened animals and plants."
"We need to shift to 100% plantation timber to protect our native forests. We’re already at 88%, so Labor should get out of native forest logging, not extend the destruction."
"This decision sells out communities which rely on native forests for tourism, local jobs and water, as well as timber workers who still have an uncertain future."
"Instead they are entrenching the destruction of logging for almost another decade."
"This decision shows that you just can’t trust Labor to protect our environment or climate."
"Victorian Labor had the opportunity to significantly cut back on logging because of the decision of Auswest timbers to close down their operations. The government should have taken the opportunity to buy back their licence and move to protect our forests and their threatened wildlife," Samantha Ratnam MLC, Leader of the Victorian Greens.