About thirty citizens gathered outside Richmond MP Justine Elliot’s South Tweed office on Friday to draw attention to the urgent need to reform forestry and planning laws at both state and federal levels. The event was in aid of Fridays4Forests, an activist group that lobbies for an end to native forests logging.
Northern Rivers Guardians President Scott Sledge says Mrs Elliot was invited to address the meeting but declined, as she was out of the office for International Women’s Day. She did not delegate a spokesperson as requested, but sent this message to the gathering:
‘The Greens Party protesting outside my electorate office about local council and state government decisions and responsibilities demonstrates that the Greens are at war with themselves. This latest planned Greens Party “protest” is about trying to stop a new housing development at Wallum, a housing development that was recently approved by Byron Shire Greens Party Councillors.
‘Wallum also has NSW state government approval to commence development, so if the Greens were genuine about this issue, they would be protesting outside the office of the Greens Party’s NSW State Member for Ballina Tamara Smith on this issue,’ said the statement.
Mr Sledge said it was inappropriate for the MP to denigrate the Greens and to lock the office, as if staff were afraid of the signs and koala costumes.
‘We were surprised to see Justine’s office refuse other constituents too,’ said Mr Sledge.
‘The front windows were papered over with propaganda attacking the Greens, but we made it clear from several advance invitations for her to address us that we simply would be asking our views be heard by our elected representative.’
Residents should engage at every level
Speakers included Tweed Shire Cr Nola Firth, who said the issue of planning was alive down to the local government level and residents should engage in feedback at every level.
She called on the community to respond to the NSW government inquiry into koala protection, with particular reference to the urgent need for NSW to join Victoria and WA to stop logging native forests.
‘In this time of the threat of mass extinction and after the recent bushfires that killed so many native creatures, it is madness to continue to log the state owned remnants of native animal habitats,’ she said. Ms Firth also called on everyone to give immediate feedback through Your Say Tweed on the Growth Management and Housing Strategy Options paper and concerning urban and rural wildlife corridors.
Forest action organiser Sean O’Shannessey said the issue of land clearing and a halt to logging native forests was essential to rein in climate change, with reform of state and federal laws needed to save endangered species such as koalas, gliders and cockatoos.
Koalas
‘At current rates of extinction there will be no koalas alive in NSW by 2050.’ Mr O’Shannessy said. ‘Destruction of their habitat will end hopes of saving this iconic species.’
Forest campaigner Valerie Thompson said the Wallum Estate development is an example of poor planning that could destroy an important remnant of coastal wildlife habitat in Justine Elliot’s electorate.
‘Justine is a minister in the current federal government and could ask the Environment Minister, The Hon. Tanya Plibersek to “call in” the project near Brunswick Heads for review under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act, but has refused to do that,’ said Ms Thompson.
Scott Sledge said the EPBC itself was seriously flawed as there is no consideration of future or global effects of projects. He argued that it should require environmental assessment of major projects, such as new coal and gas schemes.
‘The current review of the EPBC could improve accountability but so far has looked like making it even easier to damage our environment,’ said Mr Sledge.
‘On a state level we need to stop “zombie developments” (projects approved long ago and brought back to life later) in favour of assessment considering current conditions.’
Valerie Thompson said environment laws could protect Threatened Ecological Communities, such as Wallum, but neither state not federal governments seem to have the appetite for using them.
‘Building a new set of luxury houses will do nothing to alleviate the housing affordability crisis, but will destroy the homes of the wildlife that currently lives there,’ she said.
It is surprising that Justine appears to be so keen to play politics and so unwilling to think about the issues at hand, perhaps even do some research into them. After all she is our elected Federal representative
Justine should not be surprised if her seat winning margin shrinks after such a thoughtless response. The Echo article as well as others about logging native forests show she the poverty of her response. Also why not include Geoff Provest to the list of MP offices as appropriate for protest.
Justine’s the one playing politics – I see! Meanwhile I see the Echo hasn’t taken up my suggestion to do a full investigative analysis of all the conflicting claims about this development. Very happy to give lots of publicity to any anti Labor Greens antics.
That’s the reason why The Echo exists, isn’t it, balanced political reporting?
As Federal Member for Richmond, Justine Elliot could make representations to her colleague Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to call in Wallum as reported above by Ms Thompson. This is not difficult Justine, Tanya has been approached by literally hundreds of your constituents to take action. Where is she?
MP for Ballina has raised the community concern re Wallum with Planning Minister Paul Scully as has Sue Higginson MLC, including in supplementary estimates to use his unique powers. Why would we protest outside her office when she and Mrs Higginson are using all resources at their disposal. Maybe your suggestion is that the Greens should be in government at state and federal levels , then zombie DA’s like Wallum and Native Forest Logging would stop and workers would be transitioning away from logging Forest to plantations and other careers like what happened when Gunns closed in Tasmania.
The Members lack of concern for community issues is astonishing including Wallum & native forest logging.
Numerous reports have come out calling for the cessation of Native Forest Logging not only for the survival of so much of our fauna and Flora but our own species. There are alternatives like industrial hemp, but as Maggie stated above, that would require some research.
Maybe Justine could Google the ‘end native forest bill 2023 “ before parliament, tell her colleagues to pass it and act in the public interest.
Here’s the link:
https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Bills_Legislation/Bills_Search_Results/Result?bId=s1394
Labor, whether it is Justine Elliott, Janelle Saffin, Paul Skully, Tanya Plibersek, Penny Sharpe ,T Moriarty , Chris Minns, Penny Wong or Albanese are all disappointing in the extreme.
They had an opportunity to do so much good after years in opposition.
They have damaged their own reputations and by their words and actions proven themselves, in a very short period, to regularly spread misinformation or disinformation and continue (BAU) business as usual. Their failure to stop native forest logging, their persecution of David McBride and Richard Boyle and AUKUS are perfect examples.
Juice media summed our two party system up, so eloquently as LNP & LNP Lite. Change politics
Gail, 100%!
Gail is on the money well said nothing been done business as usual is what all politicians are about these days look after shareholders at any cost to Joe public
There is no doubt what the Greens are up to here, this forestry protest and so-called dispute regarding the the Wallum issue is nothing more than a re-run of the Ferros Aged care issue, another Federal beat up when it is undoubtedly a State and Local Govt responsibility. The Greens are in total disarray here, they preach about lack of housing affordability as if it’s in the bible, then whenever Local Councils approve DA’s for subdivisions for exactly that, they immediately start protesting and irresponsibly blame Justine Elliott for somehow not doing her job as Federal MP. The Greens are just a mob of useless grandstanders, they have no power even with a Local State MP and just continually play politics. And as far as how the Albanese Govt is travelling, we just had a bi-election in the seat of Dunkley, a very diverse seat and not Labor heartland, Labor easily retained the seat and increased it’s primary vote. On the other hand the Greens lost around 40% of their primary vote and got absolutely smashed, so what political party again is not doing it’s job?
Keith me old matey, the bogeyman and bogeywoman Greens again, Lol.
According to you, “…they have no power even with a Local State MP ..”.
https://www.tamarasmith.com.au/achievements
For someone who according to you has no power, the Tamara has been a stellar doer.
Keithy, my man, we feeling your Greens pain. Ouch!
The amazing thing is just how few activists for the Green’s protests there are around.
Sure, they have almost 6000 of the usual suspects on their Wallum page BUT how many of them are Byron Shire residents?
10% if they are lucky.
It is best seen on their own wallum page when they have a grand march, a circle around the sacred whatever, or lie down spelling out save wallum.
Add them up, it’s 120 max, including children, assuming that they are all locals, or not!
Then they scrape up a whole 30 souls for the federal member, how many ‘locals’ are there in that lot, 10?
It’s not their smartest idea to video using drones etc when people can count!
They are running out of steam.
The one irrefutable fact is that the greens contrived arguments and petty political games are going absolutely nowhere.
It is Justine Elliott and the ALP that will get any real environmental and economic policy through our Parliament and Senate, against the obstructions of the LNP/Hanson and others, these minority Greens are nothing without relying on the majority Labor party numbers, period! If the Greens erode those Labor party majority numbers they have nothing and cause nothing but deadwood, anti environment and economic reps like the Nationals Provest or even possibly an absolute Federal disaster like Hone waiting to bring her , Quote:”god to our Parliament”!
Do you really want another 9 wasted years of LNP stagflation? Australia already has a 5th columnist media treacherously undermining the social fabric of our nation, we don’t need the Greens joining in the LNP/Media obstruction relentlessly attacking Labor with the other 5th columnist?
Once again the Justine highlights her irrelevancy.
When the call goes out for help, the Justine shuts up shop – literally!
How long until we see another full page spreader in The Echo, picturing a beaming Justine as the heroine of the day…after the community has put in all the hard yards.
Joachim my man, you seem to be suffering from some sort of personal crisis, RUOK, I hope you are not having a nervous breakdown old son, you know that it’s not easy being Green, take care now.
Keithy my friend, to the contrary, being Green is not difficult at all.
I am keeping well, thank you for your concern.
I see Joachim you still lack social manners, typical Sydney Greens, arrogant, fanatical non achievers.
Keith, strange that you would try again to distract and divert.
This ‘social manners’ thing.
Given some of your history writing in these very fine pages of The Echo, you would be the last person to be giving lectures about ‘social manners’.
Joachim old son, try as you may but no amount of spin and diversion will save you, I have always treated peoples names who contribute to this forum with respect even when engaging in robust debate, if you had social manners you should do the same instead of engaging in frivolous petty derogatory slurs. You have work to do my man, and the fact that you are not from around here is really no excuse.
Being on the fringes, and not in government, is easy indeed.
Please note, Fridays4forests is a non political community group trying it’s hardest to draw attention to the loss of wildlife and it’s habitat owing to accelerated logging of our State forests.
We are a NEFA group. If some interested Greens people have joined, that’s great. We welcome anyone of any political persuasion to join with us to #standup4forest.
Dot +Moller, good on you and your group for trying to bring the logging of native forrests to an end, it’s a polarising issue in the regions as it employs many people, but the reality is a gradual phasing out is the only option for a Govt not wanting to suffer a backlash at the hands of the voters. However I do find it perplexing that you claim to be “non political” and yet be associated with the Greens, they are everything but “non political”. You must realize that you are protesting outside of a Federal MP’s office who has diligently represented and delivered for her constituents since 2004 and has virtually no power to do anything about the logging industry, it is firmly in the hands of State Govts. If you think you are engaging in a “non political” protest outside Justine Elliott’s office you must be the most naive person in the Northern Rivers.
If Justine wants to keep her seat in the next federal election she will have to start calling out all of the green lefty antics that continue to retard the development, the economy of the republic of byron. Grow a backbone Justine and say what you think and intend to do, appeal to the sensible majority, don’t listen to the green rabble, they don’t vote for you anyway. At all costs keep the Mandy out of this seat, please.