Australians are aware by now that humans are not the only species that grieves over the death of a loved one and that those who have lost a family member never recover.
Your pet dog or cat can be cheeky, puzzled, angry, happy, sad, anxious and fearful.
Although February 2024 footage of a male koala hugging a deceased female koala in South Australia may have been the first some people realised koalas experience loss, Australians know Australian wildlife will cry out when in fear, danger and when in pain - millions heard Lewis the koala cry while being rescued in the 2020 bushfires.
Locals have heard ringtail possums shriek in fear when taken by a powerful owl or heard a mother brushtail cry inconsolably when a careless driver runs over her baby.
People have witnessed flocks of cockatoos perched soundlessly or 'yelling' above a flock member who has been killed on a road, calling for them, crying for them. Bird 'funerals' are well-documented by scientists, as is how many pair for life and have family groups of generations within flocks.
We know they have their own individual personalities, their own natures.
These colonies and flocks of wildlife also have 'home ranges' - places built into their DNA over countless generations about where the food trees are across the seasons, and how to migrate across the land to eat from them. They have times to make babies when food is traditionally more abundant, and may not make babies in drought seasons.
Like humans, they have home burrows, home streams, home trees.
At the July 2024 NSW Labor Party Annual Conference the Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN) was advocating for progress on two key issues:
Action on deforestation - land clearing and native forest logging
stating;
'Australia is a global deforestation hotspot and NSW has been ranked the worst state for forest protection. The previous government weakened laws which have seen land clearing rates explode, to an astonishing rate of 382 football fields every day! We are also the only mainland state without a plan to transition from logging native forests to 100% plantation timber.'
And;
Supporting household electrification - 'Electrification is a leading way to reduce household energy costs whilst also addressing climate change and supporting domestic manufacturing. It is a win-win-win policy outcome for Labor, and NSW should be leading the way!'
LEAN, organised through 150 Labor branches across NSW, supported a motion (Motion 85) that could have led to the closure of native forestry and immediate transition to plantations.
The Motion, available on their website, reads:
{name} branch:
1. Congratulates the Minns and Albanese government’s environmental achievements after a decade of Liberal neglect.
2. Note that last year over 375 branches (170+ in NSW) passed motions calling on Labor to protect native forests, move to 100% plantation timber supply and end broad scale land clearing. ALP National Conference endorsed the need for a new National Forest Policy Statement and Minister Watt committed it would be delivered in this term of government.
3. Calls on Premier Minns and Ministers Sharpe and Moriarty to:
1. Urgently deliver reforms to stop runaway land clearing and work with farmers, providing incentives to restore and regenerate the land.
2. Transition to 100% plantation timber before the next state election.
3. Recognise the significant economic benefits to regional communities from protecting forests and restoring landscapes.
4. Calls on the Prime Minister, Ministers Watt and Plibersek to:
a. Deliver the new National Forest Policy Statement within this term of government.
b. Prioritize effective measures to end land broad scale clearing in Minister Plibersek’s Nature Positive Reforms.
An Introduction reads:
Halt and reverse deforestation in NSW
Australia is the only developed nation to be listed as a global deforestation hotspot. NSW has been ranked the worst state for forest protection and restoration by WWF. This deforestation is being driven by land clearing and native forest logging. Habitat destruction is the single biggest threat to biodiversity in NSW, a leading cause of our extinction crisis.
Land clearing - Over the four years to 2021, NSW cleared an average of 95,000 ha and 50 million trees per annum, or 382 football fields every day. Land clearing is responsible for 10% of Australia's greenhouse gas emissions: 40 million tons in the year to June 2022. Ending deforestation is also important for agricultural market access as the EU and others have introduced regulations to penalize products linked to clearing. Prior to the 2023 election NSW Labor committed to “stop runaway land clearing”. The Labor platform also has commitments to “prevent broadacre clearing” and “ensure we achieve a net increase in vegetation cover”.
Native Forest Logging - NSW is also the only mainland state without a plan to phase out native forest logging. The industry is in structural decline, the government can either manage this transition or face a series of abrupt closures. NSW already sources over 94% of our wood products from plantations, getting to 100% plantations is possible. This industry is only surviving on taxpayer subsidies, the native forest division of Forestry Corporation persistently runs at a loss, totalling -$44m in the last 3 years. Ending logging in NSW would also avoid 64m tons of emissions out to 2050.
The Labor Party also supported a motion put forward by the CFMEU Manufacturing Division, which, with the support of Unions NSW, has pledged to support the state’s timber industry, an expansion of plantation estate and, crucially, extends support for the native forest industry “that creates rural, regional jobs and further down the supply chain in NSW.”
By August 1 Timber NSW and Forestry Australia, which has been lobbying to expand Australia’s carbon credits across all native forest tenures, including State forests, private native forests, forests managed by Traditional Owners, national parks and conservation reserves, were among the first to know of NSW Labor’s new policy on forestry as run by Wood Central in the report ''NSW Labor’s New Policy Binds Minns to $2.9B Timber Industry'.
Wood Central states it is; 'Australia’s first and only dedicated platform covering wood-based media across all digital platforms. Our vision is to develop an integrated platform for media, events, education, and products that connect, inform, and inspire the people and organisations who work in and promote forestry, timber, and fibre.'
Accordingly Wood Central ran:
NSW Labor’s new policy on forestry
NSW Labor recognises the value and role of our forests in storing carbon, protecting biodiversity and supporting regional communities. NSW Labor is strongly committed to contributing to the delivery of Australia’s commitments under the COP26 Glasgow Leaders Declaration on forests and land, which includes halting and reversing forest loss and land degradation by 2030 in recognition that deforestation increases greenhouse gas emissions.
NSW Labor also supports other priorities of the Forest & Climate Leaders’ Partnership, such as greening construction with sustainable wood, and supports a sustainable future for NSW’s forests and forest products industry to help achieve this objective.
Labor will update the NSW Forest Industry Roadmap to ensure it is contemporary and for purpose.
NSW Labor will:
- Recognise the skills, knowledge and competencies of timber workers and their communities, as well as the central role First Nations communities play in restoring country and determining social, economic and environmental benefits flowing from forest management activity.
- Expand NSWs plantation estate and processing and value adding capabilities to better satisfy increasing domestic and international demand for high-value, sustainably sourced and produced wood products, and develop an industry plan that facilitates regional job growth and vibrant sustainable communities.
- Expand the objectives and benefits of public ownership and support, ensuring public investment delivers an equity stake or continued dividends for the people of NSW.
- Support methods and systems for new management regimes for NSW forests that incentivise protection, conservation, restoration and/or sustainable use of NSW forests. This must prioritise the ongoing need for management, the effective use of by-products and restorative management where required along with the promotion of good and decent work.
- Deliver the management and restoration of native forests, recognising and rewarding carbon and biodiversity values and the need for their active and ongoing management.
- Harness the social, environmental, and economic benefits that our forests can provide.
- Support increased supply of timber for residential housing construction, including support for new methods of engineered timber, modular housing and other methods to more economically utilize timber resources.
On August 26 the NSW Government announced to the rest of NSW residents the appointment of an expert panel to lead consultation on a 'Forestry Industry Action Plan', which the government states will outline the path NSW will take to ensure a sustainable timber industry that aligns with the government’s key environmental priorities.
The Statement reads:
The Independent Forestry Panel will be chaired by Peter Duncan AM who has more than 40 years’ experience in primary industries, infrastructure and regional NSW.
Professor Mary O’Kane AC and the Hon. Mick Veitch will also sit on the Panel.
The Panel will be tasked with consulting with a broad range of stakeholders and report to Government on the best options to achieve the balance between sustainable supplies of timber and our environmental commitments.
Stakeholders include representatives from the timber industry, forest growers, environment groups, unions, Aboriginal communities, local government, business, related industries, tourism, scientific experts and the Commonwealth Government.
The Plan will address the following key areas:
Sustainability of current and future forestry operations in NSW;
Environmental and cultural values of forests, including threatened species;
Community demand for timber products, particularly as relates to NSW housing, construction, mining, transport and retail;
The future of softwood and hardwood plantations and the continuation of Private Native Forestry in helping meet timber supply needs;
The role of State Forests in maximising the delivery of a range of environmental, economic and social outcomes;
Opportunities to realise carbon and biodiversity benefits and support carbon and biodiversity markets, and mitigate and adapt to climate change risks; and
Greenhouse gas emission impacts of different uses of forests and assessment of climate change risks to forests.
The former Coalition Government neglected to plan for the future of this industry, so the NSW Government is taking action to give certainty to communities, workers and industry.
To stay informed on the Independent Forestry Panel’s process, please register your interest at www.nsw.gov.au/have-your-say/forestry-industry-action-plan
Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said:
“The NSW Government is consulting on the future of forestry in NSW.
“Whether it’s hardwood, softwood or private native forest, our forests and the native species which call them home have faced challenges including bushfires, floods and the ongoing risks due to climate change.
“We want your input on what forests and a sustainable forestry industry will look like in the next 30 years.
“The expert panel will consult a wide range of stakeholders and we encourage everyone to have their say.”
Minister for Regional NSW Tara Moriarty said:
"We need both trees and wood, and we must strike the right balance for communities and our environment in regional NSW.
“Timber is a crucial part of our everyday lives, with timber needed for community and government priorities such as housing, transport infrastructure, electricity distribution, and freight transport.
“The families, businesses and communities that make up this industry will be considered for the Action Plan. Their knowledge and experience will be essential for understanding the issues and finding the solutions.
“Our timber workers also play a crucial role, when we need it most, to protect our forests and our communities during bushfires. They are part of our frontline in those difficult times, where their skills and equipment are critical in the fight.
“The consultative work that is set to go into this Action Plan will ensure all stakeholders are listened to and we arrive at the best future for the timber industry and sustainable state forests.”
Photo: WWF
On Friday August 30 2024 the Office of Sue Higginson, Greens Member of the NSW Legislative Council and NSW Greens spokesperson for Climate Change, Environment, Planning, Justice & Attorney general, First Nations Justice &Heritage, Agriculture, Regional Communities, North Coast, Mid North Coast, New England and North West, released the following Statement:
Forests forgotten, Minister unaware of logging influence
Questions from the Greens in Budget Estimates have revealed that the Minister for the Environment was unaware of the details for the newly announced Independent Forestry Panel prior to the appointment of a former Forestry CEO. The new panel is set to advise the Government on the timber industry and environmental commitments, despite having no qualified forest scientist appointed.
Greens MP and spokesperson for the environment Sue Higginson said “It’s a slap in the face to the 70% of NSW that support the end of native forest logging in this state, that the Government has appointed a former CEO of the Forestry Corporation to this panel and no expert in forest ecology,”
“That the Minister for the Environment couldn’t confirm that she even knew a former forestry executive was going to be appointed as the chair of this panel is deeply concerning and has given weight to the already low community trust in this process,”
“It’s not a criticism of the intelligence or ability of the panel members to question why the protection of native forests is not being represented. Both the Premier and the Minister have defended this decision but have not given any weight to the importance of genuine forest ecology qualifications,”
“We have already seen through the increased logging in the proposed Great Koala National Park that the Government is failing their environment commitments, this latest panel and industry plan is entrenching the political failure of the Minns Labor Government,”
“As long as the position of the Minister for the Environment is that native forest logging should take precedence over environment protection, forest dependent species will continue to be driven towards extinction,”
“If the Minister was not told about a former Forestry Executive being put forward for this panel, I have genuine concerns about how this information has been handled and how the decision on the Panel has been made by the Government. Was it intentional that they have not promoted Peter Duncan’s history in native forest logging, or is this just another industry vehicle to allow native forest logging to continue?” Ms Higginson said.
The day after the Government announced its 'Forestry Industry Action Plan' the North East Forest Alliance also pointed out Mr. Duncan was once the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Corporation and that The Hon. Mick Veitch was previously the ALP’s shadow Forestry Minister.
Members wonder how 'fair dinkum' any consultation would be. It all resounds like the prior coalitions government's Coastal IFOA debacle of 2018.
The previous NSW Government, despite widespread opposition, had already extended the
Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals (IFOA) by 20 years in May 2018 when asking for community feedback.
Then Minister for Lands and Forestry Paul Toole and Minister for the Environment Gabrielle Upton said the Coastal IFOA remake was a vital step forward in the NSW Government’s forestry reform agenda.
“The NSW Government is committed to the long term and sustainable management of NSW’s forestry estate, for the benefit of the community, environment and our $2.4 billion forestry and product manufacturing industry,” Mr Toole said.
This also signalled the then NSW Government's intention to expand logging into old growth areas as well.
The NSW Conservation Council stated then, ''The Berejiklian government’s plan to “remap” old growth forest poses serious new threat to some of the best mature forests left in NSW.''
The previous government seemingly had plans to deny any future generations the opportunity to stand beneath and ancient tree and gaze up and up and up.
On February 16, 2018: NSW Nature Conservation Council stated:
''The Berejiklian government is putting threatened forest wildlife and an historic 20-year peace deal at risk by pushing ahead with a sham consultation process designed to lock in unsustainable logging indefinitely. The NSW Nature Conservation Council and NSW National Parks Association today walked away from stakeholder consultations on the extension of the state’s three Regional Forest Agreements.''
Regional Forest Agreements were struck in the late 1990s and early 2000s and delivered a fragile peace in the Forests Wars that had raged for decades through the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
Nature Conservation Council CEO Kate Smolski said: “We will not be party to a process that perpetuates the reckless mismanagement our precious forests.
“Koala populations in NSW forests have plummeted over the past 20 years during which these agreements have been in place.
“We insist the government conduct independent scientific reviews that will give us a clear understanding of what harm forestry has done to our threatened wildlife over the past two decades before we decide how our forests will be managed for another generation.”
The current Labor Government also stated going into the 2023 election it would not be phasing out logging what's left either. However it did put a pause on the timber industry logging the home trees of the koalas then living in its proposed and still not here 'Great Koala National Park' on the north coast of NSW.
Koala homes are still being logged in the GKNP.
Koalas are still being struck and killed by cars at Appin too, with no fauna crossing as yet in place as their habitat homes are razed to benefit yet another developer. Three of what is left in that seemingly deliberate Koala Massacre died trying to cross their historical range in western Sydney in the past 7 days.
The North East Forest Alliance stated last week;
“We would welcome a truly independent and impartial review of logging of public native forests in NSW as the evidence is that it is neither economically nor ecologically sustainable.'' NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said.
“In 2022/23 the Forestry Corporation lost $15 million on its native forestry operations, costing the NSW Government $1,281 per hectare to log the homes of Koalas and Greater Gliders. In addition the Forestry Corporation was paid $31 million of taxpayer’s money for its community service obligations in 2022/23, while also receiving regular massive public handouts.
“Logging increases the risk of extinction of many threatened species, reduces stream flows and inflows to regional water supplies, increases wildfire risks to local communities, spreads weeds, increases erosion, while reducing the carbon stored in forests and forests’ ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere” Mr Pugh said.
''The north east NSW Blueprint Institute (2023) found that ending native forest logging in 2023–24, and instead utilising the land for carbon sequestration and tourism will deliver a net benefit valued at $45 million in present-day dollars. This includes the estimated cost of providing transitional packages to the industry as it shuts down, as well as the cost of breaking wood supply agreements that extend to 2028.''
“NEFA considers that if the NSW Government was fair dinkum about undertaking an independent assessment they would ensure the assessment was undertaken by a balanced panel that will fairly deal with our evidence.
“The appointment of an independent ecologist could provide the balance needed” Mr. Pugh said.
The Forest Alliance NSW released its response Statement the same day as the Government.
This reads:
'The Forest Alliance NSW is calling on a newly announced expert panel, set up by the Minns Labor Government to advise it on the future of forestry, to put ending native forest logging front and centre of their investigation.
Justin Field from the Forest Alliance NSW said: “The Alliance welcomes the process and will work constructively with the panel but it must fully investigate ending native forest logging to shift to a sustainable plantation based timber industry and to protect the state’s most iconic species like the Koala and Greater Glider.’
Stuart Blanch from the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia (WWF-Australia) said: “Forests need protection, timber workers need jobs, home buyers need more sustainable timber. A fair and just transition from native forest logging to plantations will deliver these.”
Andrew Wong from Wilderness Australia said: “This process is likely to result in the most significant changes to native forest logging in NSW in more than twenty years. It means the Minns Government accepts that business as usual isn’t working. We’re supportive of the government’s desire to do better in our forests.
“A critical early recommendation for the panel must be that logging is halted immediately in areas containing high numbers of koalas, greater gliders and other endangered species. We can’t discuss how to protect something while it is being destroyed in front of our eyes,” Andrew Wong said.
Susie Russel from the North Coast Environment Council said: “We do not want to see this process delay action to protect the koala and greater glider. The NSW Government is currently logging parts of the proposed Great Koala National Park and the state owned logging company has been reported for repeated illegal logging in glider habitat.
“The Government can and should act now to stop logging in these critical areas. They don’t need an expert panel to tell us logging shouldn’t be occurring in National Parks or be allowed to destroy the homes of threatened species,” Susie said.
Jacqui Mumford from the Nature Conservation Council NSW said: “The balance to be struck is to meet our timber needs from plantations while allowing our native forests to sequester carbon, be a refuge for our koalas, gliders and cockatoos and clean our air and water. Victoria and Western Australia have recently ended native forest logging and now it’s time for NSW to do the same.”
Justin Field said, “The Alliance wrote to Premier Minns last week outlining our expectations for this process and we reiterate calls for this panel to be informed by an independent expert in forest ecology and that any data provided by Forestry Corporation about wood supply and forest yields be subject to peer review and be made public.
For this process to be credible it needs to be open and transparent and the information the panel relies on needs to be public and subject to independent analysis,” Justin Field said.
The Alliance letter to Premier Minns’ is here.
On August 15 2024 the NSW Audit Office released its report into 'Threatened species and ecological communities'.
The report noted that over 1,100 native animals, plants and ecological communities are listed as threatened in New South Wales. The Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) delivers programs and activities aiming to reduce the risk of extinction for threatened species and ecological communities.
The audit assessed whether DCCEEW has effectively delivered outcomes to support threatened species and ecological communities across New South Wales including delivery of the statutory Biodiversity Conservation Program (Saving our Species).
The Findings were the DCCEEW uses a risk‑based approach to guide and deliver a range of programs aiming to improve the outcomes for threatened species and ecological communities.
However, DCCEEW has not effectively determined departmental priorities, coordinated programs to align efforts, or reported on the overall outcomes it is delivering for threatened species and ecological communities.
Further, DCCEEW does not capture sufficient data to monitor species that it is not actively managing, creating a risk that it cannot readily identify or respond to further decline.
Under the Saving our Species program, DCCEEW is delivering conservation actions for less than one‑third of all threatened species and ecological communities. This number has reduced over time, in line with reduced program funding.
Gaps in core program planning and risk management frameworks create program delivery risks.
The report, which can be read in full via the link above, made several recommendations to DCCEEW, focusing on:
- Strengthening Saving our Species program compliance, governance, planning and risk management frameworks.
- Developing a long‑term framework to coordinate and align efforts across DCCEEW for the delivery of threatened species outcomes.
- Expanding activities to improve coordination with other parts of government delivering activities that impact on outcomes for threatened species.
On March 20th 2023 Dr. Scamps issued a media release stating, ''Later today I will move a motion in Parliament calling on the Albanese Government to rapidly end the logging of Australia’s public native forests.''
Scamps Launches Save our Aussie Bush Petition
On Tuesday August 27 2024 the MP for Mackellar MP announced;
''Today I am launching a petition to save our precious native forests and the unique animals that live there from further destruction.
I want every Australian who bushwalks, camps or just enjoys a moment in nature to fight to save our Aussie bush.
The Australian bush, with all its incredible creatures, is for so many of us the embodiment of Australia. The sights, the sounds, the smells, the animals and the insects it houses are uniquely Australian, to be found nowhere else on this planet.
But Australia leads the world when it comes to extinctions. Many of our unique species like the iconic koala, black glossy cockatoo, and the greater glider are now listed as endangered.
Scientists say urgent action is required to reverse the decline.'' Dr. Scamps said in a statement
''But even now, the Albanese Government allows 500,000 hectares of native Aussie bushland to be logged or cleared every single year. These are the homes and food of our threatened wildlife.
Most of the timber taken from our native state forests ends up as woodchips or low value products like pallets and tomato stakes. The building industry prefers plantation timbers for construction.
Worse still, you and I subsidise this destructive practice, and despite this, state-owned forestry corporations have been losing millions on their native forest operations for years.
One of the most important solutions is to end native forest logging.
Victoria and Western Australia have already done this. Laggard states like NSW and Tasmania should do the same.
We need our federal government to lead. It should immediately reverse the exemption for state-owned forestry operations from the national environmental law - the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
The Albanese government promised stronger environment laws, it signed treaties to tackle climate change and reverse extinctions. It’s even hosting an international “Nature Positive” summit in October.
But we don’t just want promises and discussions. Let’s see some real action. Join me and sign the petition to save the Aussie Bush.''
The 'Save the Aussie Bush' petition is at: www.change.org/p/save-the-aussie-bush
Meanwhile, more Australian wildlife will be killed today as its home burrow, stream and tree are destroyed, while those families are in their homes.
A 2018 WWF report found tree-clearing killed more than 87 million animals in New South Wales between 1998 and 2015.
Written in collaboration with the University of Sydney’s Professor Christopher Dickman, the report found more than 517,000 hectares of native bushland were destroyed over the 17 years – an area near twice the size of the Blue Mountains National Park.
This destruction led to the deaths of about 5 million animals each year, totalling 9.1 million mammals, 10.7 million birds, and 67.1 million reptiles.
That is 13,698.6 lives lost every single day.
Imagine if they Australian humans - would citizens continue to vote back in either side of the same coin?
This number may have doubled to over 10 million per year after the Native Vegetation Act was repealed to make it easier to legally bulldoze forests by the prior coalition government, and atop the pre-approved 20 year extension of the Coastal Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals (IFOA).
Research revealed in 2023 by the Australian Conservation Foundation found that in the last decade, the Australian Federal Government had approved the demolition of more than 200,000 hectares of threatened species habitat.
The koala has lost more habitat to federal, state and local government-approved destruction than any other animal.
While 72% of the total habitat federally-approved for destruction was for mining, 400,000 hectares of threatened species habitat was annihilated to make way for sheep and cattle grazing in Queensland alone in just one year.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics' June 6 2024 'Insights into Australian Exports of Meat' records Australia was the 4th largest exporter of beef in 2022, and supplied 50% of global sheep meat in 2023. Forecasts suggest Australia could become the second largest exporter of beef in 2024.
Which makes this nation a World Champion at slaughtering other animals to eat, Gold Medallists in killing any other species that once lived here - Australia is in the top five for extinction of animals and plant species, and the Top 10 for endangered and threatened species - and winning a place in the Top 10 for for deforestation, albeit ranked behind Brazil, Indonesia and the Congo, but still making it in at number 5 in a race to turn the planet into a silent concrete tomb.
An oldie from 1989 - when some think the 'Forest Wars' were won - and dedicated to the over 6 thousand doe eyed, gentle, melodious, funny, happy, loving Australians family members who will be deliberately killed today.
