Actions and Events 2001

Dingo Ck & Goolengook blockades

Click here for photos of Sellers Rd blockade, 2001

Quoll Blockade Busted

"Instead of using their resources to survey for endangered species, the government is using excessive resources to bust environmentalists who are the only ones protecting endangered species habitat," said spokesperson Fiona York.

"There is now nothing stopping the government from continuing to build their road which will allow logging of this untouched area of forest. We strongly believe that taxpayers money would be better spent providing adequate protection for the last-remaining habitat of the Tiger Quoll".

Goongerah Environment Centre
(03) 51 540 156

See previous Media Releases and more information on Tiger Quolls.

Howard gets Mooned

When John Howard visited Orbost on Thursday 1st of February we wanted to show our complete disdain for this nasty little man.

From beneath a banner saying CLEARFELLING: the letters HOWARD'S END were revealed on protesters bum cheeks as his car pulled into Orbost High School. The media and the police all had a good laugh. Johnny turned away apparently shocked.

John Howard has an appalling record on almost everything but especially the environment and indigenous issues.

For the forests John Howard's government has recently introduced legislation to allow our forests to be burnt for power as part of the government's strategy to meet renewable energy targets. This will target old growth forests and will lead to enormous destruction of forest ecosystems.

Under the Howard Government export woodchipping and the export of whole logs have dramatically increased and our forests, biodiversity, water catchments and the communities they support are suffering.

We continued on to Lakes Entrance where John Howard was announcing an $80,000 package to monitor our waterways, while welcome this is a rather hypocritical step while the water catchments are still being logged. At Lakes Entrance we held our banners and heckled John Howard on a range of concerns. While there were a number of true blue Liberals, there were other people protesting about a range of issues including indigenous issues, petrol prices, GST, and a fair go for rural Australia.

Unfortunately a carefully prepared cream pie was removed by police before we got a chance to give this gift to our Prime Minister.

Howard with National Party MP Peter McGauran, cooking up a few more rorts!

We hope that our prophecy of CLEARFELLING: HOWARD'S END (along with his coalition mates) will come to be at the next Federal election.

Currently activists are blockading a government roading operation on the Errinundra Plateau in Far East Gippsland. The planned roading operation if it goes ahead will open the way for logging to commence in known Tiger Quoll habitat.

Following a 4 day festival in Goongerah around 80 protesters blockaded the DNRE Roading operation at Survey Rd to protest at the governments refusal to allow adequate protection for Rainforest and failure to protect habitat for endangered species.

The definition of Rainforest under the Code of Forest Practices is sufficiently ambiguous to allow the department to log areas such as Survey Rd where the intact Rainforest Canopy is over storied by an emerging Eucalypt Canopy.

Protestors are continuing the blockade in an attempt to force the department to reserve the prescribed 500 hectares following the finding of Tiger Quoll scat in the area. The department has acknowledged that the current Tiger Quoll protection program is not providing sufficient protection for this species from logging. The status of the quoll is currently under review with speculation being that the quoll's status will be upgraded from threatened to critically endangered. Despite this fact, the Department, when told about the scat replied that "Oh it can just find its way in to the National Park", the flippancy of ths reply and the lack of consideration given to conservation concerns about upcomming coupes has led to the conservationists blockading Survey Rd.

On Wednesday the 17th coservationists allowed a roading contractor to remove his machine from the area on the provision that he did not complete the contract. This was a gesture of goodwill to the community to demonstrate that conservationists hold the Department responsible for not conveying to contractors that the areas that they were working in were controversial.

The blockade continues, AS DOES THE GOOLENGOOK BLOCKADE. If you can make it up, please do so To find out more about what you can do please call Geco on 03 51540156. See the latest Media Releases and more information on Tiger Quolls.

Celebrate and Defend Ancient Forests
Community, Arts, Culture, Organics, Sustainable Living

This Festival was hosted by the Goongerah Community. Located at a beautiful spot in the green valley of Goongerah, East Gippsland, 70 km north of Orbost, between the Errinundra and Snowy River National Parks. Approx. 500 people came and enjoyed forest tours, workshops on a wide range of topics, music, performance, art, and organic food.

www.green.net.au/goongerahgathering

east gippsland 2001

A big campaign is underway to protect the ancient forests of this region. From the cities to the forests we hope to bring the message home to industry and government that the public will not stand by and do nothing as the last of these precious forests are fed to the woodchippers. Come to East Gippsland to join in or get active with the city-based campaign groups.