Conservationists are outraged that logging has resumed in Mumbulla State Forest habitat this morning.

Loggers have moved along the road to forest just a short distance from where they left yesterday, bringing them closer to recent, verified koala traces and to the exact spot where koala footprints were found on the road just three weeks ago.

Spokesperson for the conservationists, Ms Harriett Swift, said that “Forests NSW are making no provision at all for the new evidence of koalas in the forest apparently on the technicality that the road is not part of the logging compartment.

“Forests NSW has demonstrated bad faith with the community by having the loggers move their deadly machines out yesterday but move back in today with a different set of machines. (more…)

In welcoming news that NSW’s new freedom of information laws will commence on July 1, Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said their success depends on Premier Kristina Keneally backing the new regime with resources to educate the public about the changes and directing state agencies to release more information to the public so as to reduce the need for FOI applications.

“These are excellent new laws, but their strength will be largely determined by how well they are championed from on high,” Ms Rhiannon said.

“Since the new Act was passed last June implementation has been slow. An Information Commissioner was appointed six months later than promised and the laws that were originally to start early in 2010 are now starting in July.

“The project has also been downgraded by shifting responsibility for the laws from the Premier’s Department to the Attorney-General’s.

“One of the strengths of this new legislation is its potential to change the culture of secrecy in state and local government agencies by requiring the proactive release of information. (more…)

Ensuring a sustainable environmental and economic future for Australia should be the government’s key objective in its response to the Henry Tax Review, Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

“Australians are rightly concerned about the squandering of our natural resources and environmental heritage.

“They also want our financial regulation framework to be aimed at looking after everyday families, not the wealthiest in our society.” (more…)

A proposal by the operator of the woodchip mill in Eden to build a 5 MW wood-fired power station is neither green nor sustainable and should be rejected by the NSW government, according to Greens NSW MP John Kaye. (’Eden feels the heat over wood-fired power plant’, SMH 26 April 2010,  p. 5, http://bit.ly/smh100426)

Dr Kaye said: “The chipmill operator’s greenhouse gas assessment of the proposed plant completely ignores emissions from the forestry operations that would supply it with fuel.

“Hiding behind the argument that the power station would only burn waste materials, SEFE is avoiding all responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide released while harvesting the fuel.

“SEFE is declaring ‘green’ a power station that would not only contribute to the devastation of the native forests but also contributes to global warming.

“The native forests of South East Australia store massive amounts of carbon. Our estimate is that a forest furnace power station would have a far greater carbon footprint than an equivalent sized coal-fired power station. (more…)

Hunter Valley residents brought their campaign to stop the Tillegra Dam proposal to the streets of Sydney today.

Greens NSW MP Dr John Kaye, who joined 150 community members and dairy cows Bess and Marty in Martin Place, said: “The Hunter Water management team is leading the Premier and her Water Minister into a political and economic dead end.

“It is time to put this dam on hold and consult with the community and independent experts on the best water supply options for the future of the Lower Hunter. The Greens are confident this would not include Tillegra.

“Water Minister Phil Costa is unable or unwilling to resist the pressure from Hunter Water. He is pushing ahead with the $447 million project despite the advice of his own departmental experts. (more…)

It’s Earth Day. Please take some action, no matter how small.

The Greens have criticised the Minister for Lands for allowing a Labor Party donor to lodge a modification to a Development Application that would permit a significant expansion of a marina at Berowra Waters. The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) has noted that the DA should have been treated as a new development.

Greens spokesperson for Planning Sylvia Hale MP has called on the Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly, to refuse the modification.

“The development application was originally approved in December 2001. It appears that a mistake was made then when it was classified incorrectly as ‘non designated’,” Ms Hale said.

“Clause 23 of Schedule 3 of the Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulation requires that a marina development containing more than 30 vessels and less than half a car park space per vessel be classified as designated development.

“A designated development requires the developer to submit an environmental impact statement, which the developer, Cameron Brae, has not done. Local residents and the EDO have drawn this fact to the Minister’s attention. (more…)

Greens analysis of school funding figures identified a number of very wealthy NSW private schools that would continue to be funded above their formula amounts for up to five years. (’Private schools will continue to be overfunded’, SMH 21 April 2010, page 3, http://bit.ly/smh100421)

Greens NSW MP John Kaye said: “Federal Education Minister Julia Gillard has perpetuated her Coalition predecessors’ failure to deal with private schools that are over-funded.

“Since the introduction of the Socio-Economic Status funding scheme by the Howard government in 2001, no school has been allowed to see a reduction in its Commonwealth funding, even if the formula suggested that the wealth of the school community did not justify the continued high level of subsides.

“Less than half of all non-government schools are funded at their correct amounts. (more…)

A quartet added some beautiful Bach to the dawn chorus before being drowned out by logging machines in Mumbulla today.

“It was heart-wrenching to hear this powerful music at the same time and place that precious koala habitat is being laid waste on sacred Mumbulla Mountain,” said local resident, Prue Acton.

The Mumbulla State Forest, where at least 30 healthy breeding Koalas are known to be living is being threatened by logging operations. The majority of the trees go to the Eden woodchip mill. (more…)

Greens MP and donations spokesperson Lee Rhiannon has called on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to publicly back political funding reform and commit to clean up his political donation disclosure mistakes in order to remove the cash-for-access spotlight now centred on the Liberal Party. (The Age and SMH http://bit.ly/aGzBp3)

Greens Democracy4sale research undertaken by Norman Thompson has revealed that the Warringah Club, a fund raising body named after Mr
Abbott’s electorate, failed to lodge some of the disclosure forms that legally should have been lodged between 2007-8.

Ms Rhiannon said, “Mr Abbott needs to urgently clean up his house, break his silence on the issue and commit to reforming federal funding and disclosure laws. (more…)