"Concerns are growing about a bushfire within three kilometres of the Olegas Truchanas Huon Pine Forest on the Denison River deep in the heart of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Area. The Tasmanian Fire Service is attending the fire which was first reported two days ago. The cause is unknown but the fire has burnt out 349 hectares of wild country near the Maxwell River which is the Denison River’s major tributary. The Denison, in turn, flows into the Gordon River," said Bob Brown.

"This intact Huon pine forest was protected in 1970 after a four-years campaign by Olegas Truchanas. It was first described by Robert Sticht, from Queenstown, in 1928.
In 1969 Truchanas reported the forest as ‘without reasonable doubt … the only remaining stand of large mature Huon pines in Tasmania and therefore the world’.

The fire is separated from the Huon pine reserve by the Prince of Wales Range which terminates in Olegas Bluff. The prospect of some 10mm rain tonight in the area is welcome," concluded Bob Brown.

Forest defenders from the Bob Brown Foundation have halted work again today in the old growth forests of Tasmania's Wentworth Hills.

“The Wentworth Hills area showcases one of the worst examples of logging practices in the world,” said Dr Lisa Searle, Native Forests Campaign Organiser. “Not only is Forestry Tasmania clearfelling old growth forests, but they are also refusing to accept the natural values of this unique wilderness and actively choosing to destroy threatened species habitat.”

Today, Rose, age 32, has attached herself to the gate blocking the road leading into the coupe.

“These roads are to keep the general public out so that they can’t see the devastation that's really going on behind them. People need to see this, to see what is happening here. I have chosen to get arrested today as these forests don’t have their own voice and they need our help,” said Rose.

“Large scale removal of Tasmania’s giant ancient trees is occurring for woodchips and for the controversial Borneo logging giants exporting our forests for their profits. The loss of critical carbon stores in this climate emergency, and wildlife-rich old forests in this age of extinction, needs to halt immediately,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said. “Intensive logging is reducing the extent and quality of old growth forest in these remote regions. In Wentworth Hills alone, almost 1000 hectares in 19 areas of scheduled logging coupes, are targeted for flattening and incineration by the taxpayer-funded Forestry Tasmania,” Jenny Weber said.

Prominent Tasmanian politician, journalist and commentator of the 1980s and 1990s, Mary Willey died peacefully in Melbourne last Monday. She was aged 80. Mary leaves behind her son David Willey and family.

“Mary did not want statements about her career but the public will want to know of her passing,” friend and former Greens member of the Tasmanian House of Assembly Bob Brown said today.

In 1981 Mary Willey, elected Labor member for Bass in 1979, crossed the floor of the House of Assembly, to oppose the new Labor premier Harry Holgate’s reversal of opposition to the Hydro-Electric Commission’s proposal to dam the Franklin River. Avidly in favour of saving the Franklin, she left the ALP to sit on the cross-bench as an independent. Her move came days after ex-premier Doug Lowe, supplanted by Holgate, had crossed the floor to become an independent. It left Premier Holgate’s government close to collapse. In the subsequent election, in 1982, Liberal Premier Robin Gray was elected on a pro-dam platform.

Ms Willey, famously wearing red-framed glasses, went on to a prominent role in Tasmanian public affairs as journalist, commentator and then adviser to the emerging Greens in state politics. After a period living at Ellendale in the Derwent Valley, she moved to Melbourne to be nearer to her family.

“In public life, she was courageous, colourful and a true friend to Tasmania’s wild and scenic environment. Mary was a pivotal figure in saving the Franklin River,” Bob Brown said today. Another friend quipped that “Mary has crossed the floor for the last time.”

There will be a private family service tomorrow.

The long-predicted invasion of Bass Strait by industrial fish farming is underway by stealth, Bob Brown Foundation’s Marine and Fish Farms Campaigner Bec Howarth said today.

"The seals, seabirds and fisheries of Bass Strait now face all the cruelties brought to southern Tasmanian waterways by the invasion of private aquaculture companies.

Taxpayers money flowing through ‘Blue Economy’ is being used to featherbed private corporations at the expense of the publicly-owned marine and coastal amenity. The Gutwein and Morrison governments should end the stealth and state exactly how much this will cost everyone," said Bec Howarth.

"The huge public campaigns to protect Bass Strait waters from the threats of pollution from the Wesley Vale pulp mill and then the Gunns pulp mill proposal on the Tamar have been sold out by Premier Gutwein in this move. The prospect of the aquaculture industry in Bass Strait as hinted at by what little the governments have announced will make those pulp mill threats to the marine ecosystem look minor.

Public Submissions are only accepted for another nine days. This application and call for submissions have not been advertised at all to the North West coast community, who still remain completely in the dark," concluded Bec Howarth.

Nineteen years old Ellen Maddock, from South Arm near Hobart, has been arrested at the Wentworth Hills site of clearfell logging of native forest southeast of Lake St Clair and taken to Hobart Remand Centre jail.

“I join many other Australians in saluting Ellen’s courage and commitment to Tasmania’s future. In this age of climate and extinction crisis, the Minister for Forests Destruction, Guy Barnett, should be the one in the paddy wagon, not Ellen Maddock. The Wentworth Hills forest should be a national park showplace for Tasmania’s future, not a widening scene of logging squalor.

If Ellen’s arrest is a sign of toughening measures against our peaceful defenders of the forests and their wildlife, it won’t work,” said Bob Brown.

Activists from the Bob Brown Foundation have returned to the Wentworth Hills area this morning after one arrest yesterday. A protestor has locked onto a gate, preventing any workers or log trucks from entering this ancient forest where active logging has been destroying carbon and environmental values.

“We return today to defend this incredible old-growth forest. The rich carbon and environmental values are being absolutely decimated by 'Sus' Timbers Tasmania. The demolition of this unique wilderness by the Liberal government is an absolute disgrace,” said Lisa Searle, Bob Brown Foundation native forests campaign organiser.

“Premier Gutwein should be ashamed for continuing to allow logging in this old forest to continue on his watch. We are calling on the Tasmanian government to step in and to grant Wentworth Hills the protection it so desperately needs,” Lisa Searle said.

“Yesterday we were forcibly removed from this area by police and one protestor was arrested. Today we are back and are halting the logging again. This gives these old forests a chance at being rescued. The public has been kept out of Wentworth Hills for years while this old growth logging continues behind locked gates,” Lisa Searle said.

“Our Foundation has been intervening in the loss of Wentworth Hills ancient forests for the past two years with non violent direct action. More than 20 people have been arrested standing up for these old forests. Our Bob Brown Foundation is fighting for an end to all native forest logging across Australia, and here in Wentworth Hills are some of the country’s oldest forests being lost to relentless logging,” the Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“This morning, we saw and heard a pair of swift parrots in this coupe. A critically endangered species that rely on native forests to remain intact, will be lost along with the irreplaceable carbon value rich forests the species depends on,” said Dr Searle.

“It is expected that the protestor attached to the gate will be arrested and charged later today. Unless the Premier steps up and refused to leave Tasmania’s unique native forests to the woodchip piles. It’s overdue that the logging and 'Sus' timbers Tasmania must be evicted from Wentworth Hills, instead of those willing to highlight the logging and defend it,” concluded Dr Searle.

Wentworth Hills is an area of critical native forests in the Central Highlands region of Tasmania. This area contains tracts of old growth alpine eucalypt forest and patches of temperate rainforest, and is home to nine threatened fauna species including the Tasmanian Devil, Grey Goshawk, Spotted-tailed Quoll and Wedge-tailed eagle.

Today, a group of forest defenders from the Bob Brown Foundation have entered an active logging coupe, with one protester perched on a platform high up in the canopy. Her treesit platform is immobilising all the logging machinery present in the coupe.

“Last year, we held strong in this exact same logging coupe for a 10-day occupation whilst stopping work in a nearby area. Now, loggers have started work in this area and we are back to stand strong once again for these forests,” said Lisa Searle, Bob Brown Foundation Native Forests campaigner.

Last year, despite pressure from the public and ongoing protesting in the area, Premier Gutwein failed to protect these ancient ecosystems. The Wentworth area has the largest quantity of old growth scheduled for logging by Sustainable Timber Tasmania.

“Sustainable Timber Tasmania are climate criminals for the ongoing massacre of native forests in the middle of this climate and biodiversity crisis.” Said Dr Searle.

“I have loved the forests of Wentworth Hills since I first visited this incredible area and it was shocking to me to see the destruction taking place here. For Valentine’s Day this year I am choosing to spend it here, halting the logging and showing the Tasmanian community what is at stake. Wentworth Hills is, and always will be, close to my heart,” said Celeste Bartel, frontline activist who is perched 15m off the ground in a treesit.

“We are unflappable in our resolve to protect these forests. We will not back down. We will continue campaigning for Wentworth Hills until this area gets the protection it so desperately needs.” Dr Searle concluded.

11/02/2022

Bob Brown Foundation has called for an independent inquiry into yet another tailings spill at Chinese state-owned MMG’s Rosebery mine.

“It’s groundhog day at Rosebery with yet another tailings spill from MMG’s Rosebery mine showing us exactly why plans for a new toxic tailings dam in takayna / Tarkine must be rejected in favour of a safer, cleaner paste fill option,” said takayna / Tarkine Campaigner Scott Jordan.

“The 71 people who have been prosecuted for peacefully defending the takayna rainforest from MMG’s environmental destruction will be waiting to see if MMG is prosecuted for this toxic waste spill. The Gutwein government which backs MMG’s proposed toxic waste dump in the takayna forest cannot overlook this failure of MMG to safely manage its wastes on the other side of the Pieman River,” Environmentalist Bob Brown said.

“This is a clear example of why pumping 25million cubic metres of toxic tailings dam into takayna / Tarkine is unacceptable and why around the world tailings dams are being replaced by safer, cleaner paste fill solutions,” Scott Jordan said.

Paste fill involves dewatering tailings into a powder that can be combined with concrete and returned underground to fill mine voids.

“We are calling for an independent inquiry into this and previous spills given the clear failures of the EPA and Mineral Resources Tasmania to regulate this mine and tailings dams.”

The 2/5 tailings dam at Rosebery was commenced operation in 2018 and was investigated for leaks in 2016 and 2018.

8 February 2022

Environmental organisation Bob Brown Foundation has condemned the toxic fish factory industry in Tasmania after another mass fish death episode.

“It beggars belief how many hundreds of thousands of fish need to die before Tasmania cleans up its disgraceful toxic salmon industry,” Bob Brown Foundation Fish Farm Campaigner Rebecca Howarth said.

Shocking reports of 60,000 salmon dying at Petuna’s Rowella lease in Tasmania’s north, is the latest in a string of mass salmon deaths at industrial fish farms.

“This is at least the sixty-ninth reported mass fish death since 2019 and demonstrates that Tasmanian coastal waters are not suitable for an expanding salmon industry in the face of warming waters and the climate crisis. This is an animal welfare disaster,” said Rebecca Howarth.

“Tasmania’s three salmon companies have reported 68 mass fish death incidences since 2019. Many of these events have been caused by low oxygen linked to high water temperature, and/or disease. As Tasmania’s waters continue to warm on the trajectory they are predicted to, Atlantic salmon mortality events will undoubtedly become more common."

"Change to this destructive salmon industry is urgently needed. The frequency of these mass fish death events is alarming and penalties for such animal cruelty are non-existent. Salmon are sentient beings and experience stress and pain. They suffer distress as they die from suffocation en masse," concluded Rebecca Howarth.

7 February 2022

The federal Environment Minister, Sussan Ley, failed to protect the takayna/Tarkine’s resident masked owls last month when she gave the giant Chinese mining company MMG the go-ahead for 14 kilometres of roadworks and 170 drill sites in the forest, the Bob Brown Foundation said today. The BBF wrote to Minister Ley overnight calling on her to reverse her decision to allow MMG to re-invade the rainforest.

The foundation’s science team, living in the forest, have been recording the threatened owls over recent months. Ms Ley’s own threatened species unit has listed the masked owl as ‘vulnerable to extinction’ and her own guidelines are:

Priority Actions in the Tasmanian Masked Owl Conservation Advice include:

Minimise disturbance in areas where the Tasmanian Masked Owl is known to breed, including necessary actions to manage the conservation of the subspecies.
For breeding areas, investigate formal conservation arrangements, management agreements and covenants on private land, and for crown and private land investigate inclusion in reserve tenure if possible.

“Our scientific advice, from expert Professor Brendan Wintle at the University of Melbourne, is that the frequency with which the rare owl has been recorded in the MMG-targeted rainforest indicates a high likelihood that the owl is breeding there. This ancient rainforest should be reserved under the government’s own guidelines. MMG acknowledges it has options for its toxic waste dump on the Rosebery mine side of the river outside the Tarkine but the masked owls have none,” Bob Brown said in Launceston today.

“I flagged the danger to the masked owls when I met the minister at the Tarkine Wilderness Lodge last year. The minister knew that MMG’s own consultants had heard the owls, yet she did not require a proper study. Her go-ahead for the waste dump works on 6 January does not mention the masked owls. However, we have now concluded our own study and sent it to the minister. She should act on it.”

“We have also asked MMG to hold off while the wellbeing of these very large owls is properly, scientifically assessed. MMG’s four or five alternatives for storing its acid wastes - in particular paste-filling back down into the mine - should be independently assessed too.”

“Meanwhile the BBF has a peaceful blockade ready should MMG ignore the urgent environmental need to protect this forest and send in its bulldozers. In 2021, 71 forest defenders were arrested before MMG’s heavy machinery stopped work when It was found that the company was acting with no legal right: that is, illegally. However, no one from MMG was arrested,” Brown said.

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