Media release – 3 July 2012

The federal government must tighten koala protection laws to ensure koalas are not being placed at risk by logging in Boambee Forest on the NSW coast, said Greens Senator and forest spokesperson Lee Rhiannon.

Forestry research organisation Markets for Change today released a report that tracks timber harvested by Forests NSW from Boambee State Forest to a Boral saw mill in Kooklhan and ultimately to the timber used in Harvey Norman’s ‘Naturally Australian’ flooring range.

 In the shadow of legislation passed in the NSW Upper House which allows recreational hunters to shoot feral animals in designated national parks and reserves, Labor and the Coalition parties today voted against a Greens Senate motion condemning this move and calling on the Attorney General to strengthen national gun laws.

The motion below was moved by Greens Senators Penny Wright and Lee Rhiannon.

Greens spokesperson for Legal Affairs, Senator Penny Wright, said strengthening uniform gun laws would help increase public safety.

Environment and Communications Legislation Committee

Estimates hearings, 22 May 2012

Mr Peter Cochrane, Director of National Parks

Full transcript available here

The NSW Environment Minister Robyn Parker's comments that there can be a 'balance' between native forest logging in South East NSW and saving koalas misses the point of protecting biodiversity and highlights concerns over the newly awarded Biodiversity Fund project to protect koala habitat in the NSW South East forests, says Greens Senator for NSW and forests spokesperson Lee Rhiannon.

With a little more than two weeks to go until public submissions close on the draft Murray Darling Basin Plan (16 April 2012), Federal Greens Senators and the Convenor of the Riverina Greens are calling for changes to the plan to build strong, viable communities in the Riverina that will survive well into the future. Senator Rhiannon in in Hay and Mildura on 2-3 April for the Senate inquiry into the management of the Murray-Darling Basin.

Greens Senator and water spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young said:

Blog post by Senator Lee Rhiannon

Our party room has a spectacular photo of Lake Pedder before it was flooded. It is a picture of great beauty with small waves lapping the long pink quartzite beach.

Citizen Bob Carr became Senator Bob Carr at 12.30 pm Monday and a few hours later the title jumped to Minister Bob Carr.

Probably because I was a member of the NSW parliament for six of the ten years that Mr Carr was premier a few people have asked me about Australia’s new Foreign Minister.

While Carr’s erudite way with words entertained many when he was premier his NSW legacy is looking increasingly threadbare.

Greens Senator and forests spokesperson Lee Rhiannon tonight congratulated Victorian forest campaigners for taking court action to stop VicForests logging the habitat of the endangered Leadbeater possum, but says the failure to halt logging permanently is further evidence that the Regional Forest Agreements process should be scrapped.

A decision in the case of MyEnvironment Inc v VicForests was handed down by the Victorian Supreme Court late this afternoon to prevent logging in the Gun Barrel, Freddo and South Col coupes of the Toolangi State Forest.