2020-09-02
Ending native forest logging, preventing river damming, reviving railways and generally working towards regional regeneration
By Hon. Diane Evers, MLC, Member for South West
What a year it’s been! With such an extraordinary start to the year, it was a welcome relief to have some time at home in Albany in July, and then back to traversing regional WA and back to grassroots work to protect our communities and environment.
Parliament returned after the winter break, giving me the opportunity to pursue protection of our native forests, digital connectivity in the regions, better and immediate solutions in housing and homelessness, and so much more. I try to get the best use out of my time in and out of Parliament, meeting with people across the region to hear their voices and then amplifying their voices back in Parliament. Most recently I’ve introduced the Forest Products Amendment Bill, noting that now is the time to end native forest logging! I am so proud to be a voice for the South West and for our native forests in WA Parliament.
Native Forest Protection
In August, as WA Greens spokesperson for forests, I provided the WA Labor Government with a legislative opportunity to enact meaningful systemic change in the management of our public forests and forest industries. The Forest Products Amendment Bill 2020 offers a way to end native forest logging, abolish the Forest Products Commission, and restore and expand our state forests, while ensuring a just transition of industry jobs.
I have since received wonderfully encouraging support for the Forest Products Amendment Bill 2020, including from environmental bodies eager to lobby the WA Government for a commitment to change. This was followed by an incredible show from the community, when we came together to support the WA Forest Alliance call for ‘Forests For Climate, Forests For Life’ at the Margaret River Forest Rally! It was incredible to see several hundred people turn out in the South West to keep up the momentum of forest protection. Once more the Premier has had to pay attention to loud and growing public calls for the full protection of native forests and a complete transition of the timber industry to sustainable plantations.
It has been quite a few months campaigning to protect native forests. The call from the grassroots to the Premier has been clear: there is no social license to continue logging our native forests. The time has come to End Native Logging now and implement a rapid and just transition for those employed in the sector. Forests are vital to fighting climate change and Western Australians deserve their native forests to thrive. We speak for the forests – let the Ministers for Environment, Forestry, and Regional Development know that we need change now by asking them to End Native Logging. Even better, ask every organisation you belong to, to send a letter on behalf of the membership letting the Premier know that your group wants to see the end of native forest logging.
Stop the Southern Forests Irrigation Scheme
Environmental and agricultural concerns are united over the Southern Forests Irrigation Scheme (SFIS) – and with good reason. Taking water from the Donnelly River to fill a dam and provide water to another catchment will change this area forever. The SFIS is a scheme that the community does not want and it must be stopped.
We are at a critical point in efforts to halt the damaging and inequitable SFIS, with the environmental approval process behind schedule and the WA Labor Government remaining committed to an $80m water trading scheme that locks out 85 percent of farming businesses in the area. In July I stood beside the tallest known karri tree in the world, the Stewart Tree, named after the man who first suggested using these giants as look out perches for wild fire. If the SFIS goes ahead, the Stewart Tree will be only 100m back from the dam works. 160ha of good forest with 300 plus year old trees will be inundated by the storage dam. Another 142ha will be cleared for pipelines. The Stewart Tree and other giants around it are at serious risk.
In August I spoke at Save our Donnelly River's SFIS public forum in Manjimup. The state government and local council have resisted calls to hold a community forum on the SFIS, but the people are not prepared to take this lying down, so the grassroots community group Save our Donnelly River took it upon themselves to hold one itself. Earlier in the day, I returned to the Stewart Tree accompanied by over thirty people. Getting up close to this tree and forests like these strengthen my determination to fight for the forest and inspire others to speak out.
Thank you to everybody who attended the public forum, from the Don't Dam the Donnelly group to those who came to learn more. If only the proponents of the scheme had made such an effort to consult widely in the first place, the truth about this scheme would have come to light much earlier. Now, under the statewide scrutiny of metropolitan and regional news broadcasters, I hope this Government will begin to listen to community reason. We still have the Public Environmental Review by the EPA to go through, but this scheme is so wrong it should be stopped now.
Join my campaign to Stop the SFIS and follow Save Our Donnelly River and Don’t Dam the Donnelly on Facebook to keep up-to-date with the latest news.
Standing up for the Rights of Nature
In July I spoke with the US based Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights at an international event for its monthly webinar, this time on the topic of the Rights of Nature in Australia! Joined by Michelle Maloney of Australian Earth Laws Alliance, we gave an update on Rights of Nature in Australia to increase national and international attention to protect our environment’s right to exist, flourish, regenerate, and evolve. I introduced the Rights of Nature and Future Generations Bill to WA Parliament last November to provide the people and government of Western Australia with the ability to defend and enforce these rights on behalf of nature. I am also pleased to be part of a Greens working group on the rights of nature to ensure that Rights of Nature and Future Generations are incorporated into our own policies. It may not be top of everyone's priorities, but we must plan for a long term future where the environment is understood as the first law. Let me know if you’d like to be a part of this group!
Travelling the Regions – North & South!
Travelling through WA over the past eight weeks shows how privileged we are to travel within the state relatively safe from the health impacts of Covid. I took the opportunity to head further north into the Agriculture and Mining & Pastoral Regions to hear from people and explore ideas in regenerative agriculture, eco-tourism and regional Greens connections. It was great to be joined on this trip by WA Greens candidate for the Mining and Pastoral Region, Kimberly Smith! There are many strong Green issues in our regions, putting an end to fracking, restoration of our environment, minimising mining impacts and the changing climate.
Back in the South West, I made a few visits to Margaret River, first to catch up with Green ideas at Fair Harvest having discussions about issues that are critical to the communities of Margaret River and surrounds. We talked about mental health services, investing in cultural and community infrastructure and the ever-present need to protect our precious places, such as the Gnarabup coast.
I enjoy working with regional people toward a better future for all of us. It was a great motivation builder to meet with like-minded people who understand regional living. The inspiration for action was strong everywhere I went, and I am pleased to speak the progressive voice for all the people I meet.
Regional Regeneration
As WA Labor continues to recycle funding commitments as part of half-baked commitments to ‘green’ projects, I will maintain pressure on them with regards to proposed local jobs and increased manufacturing in the regions. This includes supporting the strong contingent of Western Australians who continue campaigning State and Federal Governments to upgrade and re-open the State's unused Tier 3 rail lines.
The WA Labor Government announced $252.3 million of funding for the South West Region in August as part of its WA Recovery Plan, amid the backdrop of 200 people gathering in Kulin to campaign and pass a motion to "call upon the State and Federal Government to fund an upgrade and re-open the State's unused Tier 3 rail lines". Save Grain on Rail have been working tirelessly to get freight back on Tier 3 rail for many years, since the Court government’s lease of the lines, and the Barnett Government’s disgraceful amendment to allow leaseholders Arc Infrastructure in 2011 to close lines and no longer maintain them.
I have been proud to campaign during my term, in Parliament and beyond, for more freight on rail in regional WA, and it is encouraging to see this issue receive growing attention. I will work to support stakeholders such as the Wheatbelt Railway Retention Alliance and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union WA Branch to find sensible, workable solutions the WA Government can and should enact.
We need a more holistic transport strategy for commuting and freight. $252.3 million is just a drop in the ocean, but could go some way towards recommissioning our Tier 3 rail lines, upgrading rail links across the South West, building better, safer cycling networks in regional centres and establishing a safe and sustainable regional transport network.
An announcement by the WA Labor Government of a feasibility study into the production of wind turbine components in Western Australia was another necessary, but limited, step forward for the South West Region in August. I have long-supported the South West Region as a potential manufacturing hub to facilitate the creation of higher-value green jobs, which would also strengthen the appeal of the region as a place to live and work.
I am pleased progress is being made in regional job opportunity creation for Western Australia, but until the WA Labor Government walks the walk by committing to environmental protections and the adoption of a renewable energy target, these announcements remain piecemeal and lightweight. The WA Labor Government has a poor record on renewable energy investment and I support my WA Greens colleague Tim Clifford MLC’s call for the Government to provide business certainty in these clean industries by adopting a renewable energy target.
Looking to the future, there is a distinct opportunity for us to become an eco-tourism powerhouse and harness regional WA throughout our post-COVID-19 economic recovery. It is exciting to contemplate the secure green jobs that a broad range of sustainable industries can bring to regional WA. We have the know-how, we have the raw materials and endless renewable energy, with public and private investment, anything is possible.
If you have an idea about how the Government could be better spending on Regional Regeneration, get in touch with my office by emailing southwest.evers@mp.wa.gov.au, or joining the Regional Regeneration WA Facebook group to take the conversation further!
The Future is Green
As we gear up towards the 2021 State Election, and I look forward to working with members as campaigning ramps up towards the end of 2020 and into the new year, with the next exciting event on the horizon being the South West Greens weekend on the 5th and 6th of September! It looks to be an exciting weekend, featuring workshops on Saturday afternoon, and the regional group’s monthly and annual general meetings on Sunday. WA Greens Senator Jordon Steele-John will be in attendance and I am excited for our South West membership to come together and connect over our shared future.
Header photo: Margaret River Forests Rally, 22nd August