Billy Rodwell has tonight been remanded in custody until Monday after being arrested in takayna/Tarkine protecting ancient rainforests.

Tasmania Police were wrong to bring Billy before the court. They should have promptly released him on bail conditions like all other protesters who are first offenders. This is overkill.

“Billy is a 23 year old visitor from Victoria, who has come to our state for its wild and scenic beauty. This is Gutwein's Russia. It’s excessive, obscene, and harsh treatment of protestors in Tasmania. We are outraged,” Jenny Weber said.

Bob Brown Foundation has called on the federal Environment Minister to stand with citizens defending takayna / Tarkine and end current works by miner MMG.

"This morning, another group of brave citizens again entered ancient rainforests to do what the Minister for the Environment has failed to do - protect the National and World Heritage values of takayna / Tarkine", said Bob Brown Foundation Campaigner Scott Jordan.

"Chinese state-owned miner MMG has excavators and trucks carving roads and drill pads into these forests to facilitate geotechnical drilling for their as yet unapproved plan to pump 25 million cubic metres of toxic, acid-producing waste into a massive tailings dam in World Heritage value forests".

"Minister Ley can stop this now. She can, and should, require the drilling operations to be ceased and referred for EPBC assessment. Choosing not to see the destruction is enabling it."

Veterinarian Kellie Waltran has locked on to a gate on the site to prevent access and further destruction.

Protesters from the Bob Brown Foundation have returned to the contentious site of rainforest destruction in Australia’s largest temperate rainforests this morning.

Two trucks attempting to take in roading materials have been halted by a woman who has attached herself to one of the trucks.

“We have closed the road to give MMG the option to withdraw their machines and move out of takayna/Tarkine’s rainforests. Instead of sending in the police, withdraw your machines and plans to continue with this damaging proposed tailings dam,” Bob Brown Foundations Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“New access roads into the Tarkine’s rainforests are unnecessary. MMG don’t need to be carrying out this geotechnical drilling for their proposed tailings dam because it will cause enormous damage in a time when we have a global biodiversity and climate crises that require intact forests to remain intact.

This proposed heavy metals tailings dam will destroy 285 hectares of rainforests, tall eucalyptus endangered species habitat, and melaleuca forests,” Bob Brown Foundations Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“MMG should abandon their plan to out this tailings dam in the forests of takayna/Tarkine and pursue its alternate locations,” Jenny Weber said.

The Bob Brown Foundation wants Premier Peter Gutwein to call a halt to mining company MMG’s clearing for a toxic waste dam in the Tarkine rainforest until 8 June. By then the federal minister for the environment, Sussan Ley, has to decide whether to stop it for environmental reasons. 

“MMG is irresponsibly flattening rainforest which is the habitat for federally-listed endangered wildlife before the national minister for the environment has done the legally-required assessment. Premier Gutwein understands that there are environmental considerations and should stop the company taking the law into its own hands like this. No wonder there is such public outrage,” Bob Brown said today.

“There is no need for this high-handed action by MMG. The company’s current tailings dam was built as recently as 2016 and can accommodate years more of its output of heavy metals contaminated wastes. It also has future options on its own side of the Pieman River and south of the mine which do not involve invading the recommended national heritage area of the Tarkine.”

“The foundation’s stand against MMG, a China state-owned company, is to protect magnificent rainforests which will be part of the Tarkine’s huge potential job-creation future long after this company packs up and leaves,” Brown said.

This morning protesters have returned to the contentious Tarkine forests where a Chinese state-owned mining company is destroying rainforests for exploratory drilling. The drilling is the first phase before flattening ancient rainforests for a proposed monster size 140 hectare heavy metals tailings dam.

“We are here to disrupt this invasion of Australia’s largest temperate rainforests by MMG. Every day for the past nine days we have been rolling out non violent direct action to try and prevent the destruction of Gondwanan tall myrtle rainforests and tall eucalyptus habitat for endangered species like the Masked Owl,” Bob Brown Foundation Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

“Ten arrests later and we are still witnessing the Chinese state owned mining company MMG tear apart the rainforests. It needs to stop,” Jenny Weber said.

“Rather than sending in Tasmania’s taxpayer funded police force on behalf of a mining company, Premier Gutwein could have leadership and protect takayna/Tarkine for its world heritage values,” Jenny Weber said.

“I am here taking direct action to defend the forests because words have failed to protect takayna/Tarkine. We have a responsibility to defend these native forests and keep their rich biodiversities intact,” Carol Bennett who is this morning attached to the MMG access gate that has locked up public forests for destruction.

After a three-year inquiry, the Senate’s Environment and Communication Committee has called for deer to be classified as a pest throughout Australia. Bob Brown Foundation says the Gutwein government should heed the call and drop the absurd ‘partially protected’ status it gives to this rapidly spreading pest in Tasmania.

The Senate committee estimated the annual cost to agricultural businesses from the three feral species, goats, pigs and deer, "runs into hundreds of millions of dollars".

“This comes together with studies showing deer are spreading rapidly across Tasmania, including through the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, Tarkine, Freycinet and Bruny Island while this government is sitting on its hands. The cost to Tasmania of continued inaction will run into many millions of dollars annually for future deer control both of farmlands and national parks. Deer are a feral species which damage crops as well as native vegetation and compete with native wildlife for food resources,” Bob Brown said today.

“Deer are also increasingly the cause of traffic accidents. There is an urgent need for the premier to take action to save Tasmania from the increasing economic and environmental burdens of feral deer,” he said.

Activists with Bob Brown Foundation have again shut down MMG's tailings dam works in response to the Chinese state-owned company's pushing ahead with clearing forests for drilling operations.

"MMG admits they have not completed the necessary assessments to determine impacts on threatened species and forest communities on the proposed tailings dam site, and yet they are moving machines into clear forests and extend roads", said takayna/Tarkine Campaigner Scott Jordan.

"The Minister should intervene immediately to halt this activity, but until they do citizens will make that stand for her".

Activists Karen Weldrick (61) and Claire Brownhill (20) have blocked the main gate with a lock on device, while Tyla Bickley (23) has locked onto an excavator several kilometres past the gate to prevent the clearing of forests on the tailings dam site.

"I am here protecting takayna because it is the right thing to do. In a climate crisis it is criminal to allow the destruction of ancient forests", said Tyla Bickley.

"We don't have time to continue making these mistakes".

Bob Brown Foundation has requested the National Heritage Listing of takayna/Tarkine.

A new threat to Australia’s largest temperate rainforest in takayna / Tarkine is erupting as Chinese state-owned miner MMG concedes the company has not conducted all environmental studies needed to determine the project’s level of impact on federally-listed species.

Meanwhile, Bob Brown Foundation continues to protest in Tarkine forests where MMG proposes a heavy metals acidic tailings dam. MMG is using damaging loopholes within the EPBC Act to try and push ahead with destructive site works ahead of Commonwealth environment approvals. Not without opposition – this afternoon a team of protesters prevented the drill rig from entering the site as protesters stood on the entrance road prepared to attach to the machinery if it arrived.

"MMG is pushing ahead with roadworks and preparations for drilling rigs even before Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley has decided whether to refuse the project or commence an assessment process. We are dedicated to carrying out non-violent direct action to try and save these intact rainforests," said takayna / Tarkine Campaigner Scott Jordan.

"Exemptions granted for mining exploration are being misused to allow MMG to conduct geological drilling to shore up its proposal for a tailings dam. That is not in the spirit of the purpose of the exemption and the Minister should act."

"This sort of tactic is often used to allow proponents to conduct works that it will later point to as evidence of degraded habitat on the site. It's a license to destroy the very values that may prevent the granting of a permit."

“We are facing a major new threat to Australia’s largest rainforest and MMG has been calling on police to arrest and remove activists from an area over which the company does not yet hold a mining lease. Last Tuesday, at enormous expense to the taxpayer, Premier Gutwein rolled out the Public Order Management Team to evict Tarkine Defenders from these threatened rainforests after 143 days of peaceful occupation. In the following four days, seven protesters have been arrested, calling for a halt to this attempt by MMG to clear rainforests for destructive drilling,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaign Manager Jenny Weber said.

In the past week, more than 2,000 people have sent letters to Minister Ley urging refusal of the project and national Heritage Listing of takayna / Tarkine. Bob Brown Foundation has filed an EPBC submission on MMG's referral, citing failure to survey two-thirds of the project area, failure to provide impact reports on the pipeline across Lake Pieman, roading or the 'borrow pits' and failure to provide survey results relating to Masked Owl and orchid species.

Bob Brown Foundation calls for mining company MMG to cease plans to build a heavy metals acid tailings dam in Tasmania’s Tarkine rainforest wilderness as the third day of protests commences.

This morning in takayna/Tarkine two tourism operators have attached themselves to a gate on a controversial Tarkine road preventing mining company MMG from drilling. Rosebery miner MMG has proposed a 140 hectare tailings dam and made an application to Federal Environment Minister for the proposal.

Gordon Cuff and Susie Aulich, tourism operators from Mt Arthur, Lilydale (http://thetrig.com.au/) have joined Bob Brown Foundations' ongoing protests to defend and protect Australia’s largest temperate rainforests in Tasmania.

“I have felt for a long time that I need to do something positive to halt the destruction of the Tarkine rainforest. By standing on the frontline and willing to be arrested, I'm making an appeal to people of my vintage as well as other tourism operators to consider how they can also assist in this campaign. So many people disagree with what is happening in takayna particularly this new threat proposed by the state owned Chinese company MMG for a new toxic tailings dam,” said Gordon Cuff.

“It’s also astounding the amount of carbon in these pristine temperate rainforests, carbon rich areas that we can secure funding for if Tasmania left them intact. This forest is worth so much more,” Gordon Cuff said.

“It’s a matter of politicians embracing the future where Tasmania retains as much carbon in forests and soils as possible. These are the new economies that will be wealth to all Tasmanians,” Gordon Cuff said.

“We are Tourism operators who are concerned about the destruction of Australia’s largest temperate rainforest, our guests come to experience this,” Susie Aulich said.

“They come here to see the natural environment, not a toxic tailings dump as proposed by the Chinese mining company MMG. We don’t really know what else to do. How is it that a Chinese state-owned mining company is calling the shots on our forests? Where are our leaders?

“This is our 2020s Franklin. If you supported the protection of the Franklin, or are benefiting from tourism opportunities and employment that comes from protecting a wild place then I call on you to join us on the frontline,” Susie Aulich said.

“We don’t come back from this, once these rainforests and Tasmania’s wild and scenic beauty is destroyed it is gone forever,” Susie Aulich said

Today, two forest defenders were arrested on the second day of non-violent actions against plans to clear a large area of old growth forests in the Tarkine. One person has since been released on bail. A second person was locked onto machinery and will appear in Devonport Magistrates Court tonight. A protest camp had previously been holding the project at bay for 142 days.

"Chinese Government owned mining company MMG has plans to build a toxic tailings dump in Australia's largest temperate rainforest. 285 hectares of rainforest will be impacted as the company builds tailings dams and pits on 140 hectares. That is dams and pits 70 times larger than the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and a total disturbance twice that amount," said Dr Lisa Searle, Bob Brown Foundation’s native forests campaign organiser.

“This morning threatened rainforests were reclaimed by the protesters, with one protester locked onto a gate blocking access to the proposed MMG tailings dam site. A second protester attached to an excavator; the immobilised machine was destined to push drill pads into ancient rainforest wilderness today.

MMG is a company with a mine in Rosebery. They are not welcome to expand their operations into takayna/Tarkine rainforests. The proposed area they want to get in now and drill for their proposed expansion are world heritage value rainforests with tall myrtle, tall eucalyptus, and melaleuca forests. The Rosebery mine has other viable options for a new tailings dam on previously disturbed land that is outside of the Tarkine boundary.” Dr Searle said.