FOLLOWING a weekend of mass protests conversationalists once again put a stop to the logging that threatens koalas in the Mumbulla State Forest.

Three protesters chained and locked themselves to logging equipment early on Monday morning.

Leading the protesters was BVSC Greens Councillor Keith Hughes who immobilised a giant tree feller bought in by Forests NSW to accelerate the woodchip logging. Cr Hughes locked himself onto a log loader and prevented logging operations from continuing for the day.

Another protestor, Jane Salmon, a Sydney-based and mother of two, was locked onto a snigger. The number of protestors at the Mumbulla blockade has swelled by Sydney supporters.

"This is a determined effort by the community. This is the 49th day of our protest at this barbarous operation and we are not going away," said Cr Hughes.

The protesters were left rather hungry and thirsty after police took away their food and water. The three protesters were arrested in the afternoon.

Harriett Swift from CHIPSTOP was down at Bega Police Station to bail out Cr Hughes when she told ABC Radio Statewide: "We are certainly not going to give up. We cannot take the risk with the future of these animals. There are only 30 to 50 koalas remaining in the area and we cannot afford to lose a single one of them."

The protesters have issued a joint declaration that the woodchip operations are illegal and in breach of numerous regulations that Forests NSW and its contractors are required to meet.

Meanwhile, traditional owner Louis Campbell was arrested at the woodchip site on the lower slopes of Mumbulla Mountain, sacred to local aboriginal people.

Mr Campbell is understood to have been protesting that the woodchip operations were not only destroying critical koala habitat but were also disturbing a sacred burial site.

Mr Campbell is a close relative of the late and highly respected Gubbo Ted Thomas who campaigned for many decades for the protection of Mumbulla Mountain together with the sacred Gulaga Mountain and the linking forests.

Monday's protest followed a weekend of stepped up actions to stop the woodchipping of native forests. The NSW Greens State Conference was held on Saturday at the Bermagui Community Centre. The conference is held every two months to discuss policy and campaigning.

"With Federal and State elections drawing close, the NSW Greens have their nose to the grindstone developing strategy and campaign plans," said NSW Greens MP and South East spokesperson Lee Rhiannon.

Greens MPs and members will consider an urgent motion calling on the NSW government to:

* end the industrial logging of native forests;

* reject plans to build any power station that burns native forest products; and

* stop all sackings and forced redundancies of NSW Forests staff and return the permanent workforce to June 2009 levels, and ensure effective environmental supervision of logging while it remains legal.

On Sunday morning Greens MPs and members joined local campaigners at Mumbulla Forest to take a stand for the Mumbulla koalas. The result was a mass forest protest of approximately 300 locals and Greens from across the state who enjoyed a choir, speeches and the world premier of a forest theatre production.

Liberal MP Andrew Constance meanwhile has called for an immediate overhaul of the NSW Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) Laws to incorporate changes that would result in the prosecution of forest protesters for risking the lives of themselves and forestry workers.

"The forests are a workplace and the protesters should not be above the law when it comes to occupational health and safety. The same laws should apply to everyone," Mr Constance said.

"The NSW Labor Government should move immediately to ensure that the laws are strengthened.

"The actions of people such as Greens Clr Keith Hughes this week are outrageous as they do nothing more than endanger the lives of timber workers and themselves," he said.

"The recent erection of a 4m-high tripod should be a clear breach of OH and S laws given the dangers it poses for the paid activist that sits up it, the timber workers and the police.

"I'm advised other states have tightened their OH&S laws to address the actions of these protesters and its time NSW did the same," he said.

Breaking news today is that in the morning three protesters, including Greens Councillor Keith Hughes, locked themselves onto forest machinery. This afternoon police removed the three protesters and also arrested a traditional Aboriginal owner, who has subsequently been released. Photos from that event can be seen on Flickr here.

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Protesters from all over the state enjoy the forest theatre production

Performers in the forest theatre production.

A large variety of groups were there to protest the logging of Mubulla State Forest.

NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon and performers of the forest theatre production.

Bega Valley Shire Greens Councillor Keith Hughes

Councillor Keith Hughes with other performers in the forest theatre production.

Marrickville Councillors Fiona Byrne, Cathy Peters and MLC elect Cate Faehrmann.

A Peter Garrett impersonator as part of the forest theatre production.

Greens members Debbie Robertson, Peter Carruthers, Chris Dubrow and Tony Hickey.

(L-R) NSW Greens MP John Kaye, Catherine Moore, NSW Greens MPs Lee Rhiannon and Sylvia Hale, Woollahra Greens Councillor David Shoebridge.

Keith Hughes, Greens councillor on Bega Valley Council, is locked onto a log loader.

Jane Salmon, a Sydney-based environmentalist and mother of two is locked onto a snigger.

James, a Sydney based student activist, is locked onto a harvester.

 “This determined effort by local and Sydney protesters puts the NSW government under further pressure to stop logging native forests in the southeast.

 “Protest numbers at the Mumbulla blockade have been swelled by Sydney supporters.

 “Today’s protest follows a weekend of stepped up actions to stop the woodchipping of native forests.

 “The Greens’ State Council meeting held in Bermagui passed an urgency motion calling on the NSW government to:

• end the industrial logging of native forests;
• reject plans to build any power station that burns native forest products; and
• stop all sackings and forced redundancies of NSW Forests staff and return the permanent workforce to June 2009 levels, and ensure effective environmental supervision of logging while it remains legal.

“On Sunday a mass forest protest of nearly 300 locals and Greens from across the state enjoyed choirs, speeches and the world premier of a forest theatre production,” Ms Rhiannon said.

For more information

Lisa Stone [at the protest] – 0428 640 271

Lee Rhiannon – 0427 861 568

On Sunday Bega Greens and local conservationists have invited Greens MPs and members to join them at a forest action to take a stand for the Mumbulla koalas.

NSW Greens MP and South East spokesperson Lee Rhiannon said:

"With Federal and State elections drawing close, the NSW Greens have their nose to the grindstone developing strategy and campaign plans.

"Greens members are passionate about saving the South East Forests and the Sunday protest will allow us to learn more about the campaign from locals and experience the forest's beauty first hand.

Greens MPs and members will consider an urgent motion calling on the NSW government to:

* end the industrial logging of native forests;

* reject plans to build any power station that burns native forest products; and

* stop all sackings and forced redundancies of NSW Forests staff and return the permanent workforce to June 2009 levels, and ensure effective environmental supervision of logging while it remains legal.

Details

* 10-5pm Saturday 15 May 2010: two monthly Greens State Council at Bermagui Community Centre.

* 9.30am-noon Sunday 16 May 2010: Greens MPs and members join local campaigners at Mumbulla Forest.

For more information:

NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon 0427 861 568
Harriett Swift CHIPSTOP 0414 908 997

"I congratulate the traditional owners for pursuing the protection of their heritage.

"Areas in the two logging compartments were gazetted as Aboriginal places in the 1980s.  They should have been included in the Biamanga National Park.  They should never have been approved for logging.

"I call on Environment Minister Frank Sartor to also halt logging areas within the two adjacent compartments that are comprised of valuable koala habitat.

"It is unethical for Environment Minister Sartor to allow logging to continue in the precious koala habitat of the Mumbulla State Forest," Ms Rhiannon said.

South Coast based Chipstop campaigner, Harriett Swift has been present at the forest blockades since logging started on 29th March.

"Today's decision recognises the importance of the mountain to the Yuin people and also gives us hope for the survival of the koala in our region,” said Harriett Swift.

"I was thrilled to join my community in the forest this morning to see the departure of the enormous logging machines that have been destroying the koala habitat.

"Compartment 2135 and the northern section of 2133 were declared and gazetted as an Aboriginal Place in 1984 as a result of the Guboo Ted Thomas campaigning in the 1970s.  Most of the area is now in Biamanga National Park, with ownership handed back to the traditional owners.

"The status of the remaining areas of Mumbulla State forest is still unclear, but conservationists are gearing up for further struggles over the significant amount of koala habitat forest that remains at risk," said Ms Swift.

For more information:  Lee Rhiannon 0427 861 568

Harriett Swift, Chipstop campaigner - 0414 908 967

Visit Lee's website: http://endsoutheastwoodchipping.wordpress.com/

"The failure of Premier Kristina Keneally to intervene again proves that in Labor's eyes the environment is a poor cousin of the logging industry.

"I congratulate local environmentalists who are in the process of establishing a vigil at the site.

"They would be supported in their fight by the knowledge that there are many other people living in NSW who find this action abhorrent.

"For too long now the NSW government has refused to end the logging of South East native forests.

"Stopping chipping will save endangered animal communities like the koalas now at the mercy of chainsaws.

"It will also stop the millions in taxpayers' dollars which now flow to subsidising the industry.

"Premier Keneally must intervene to stop the chainsaws.

"Pulling out of this logging operations will safeguard this precious population of koalas and other endangered species like the long-nosed potoroo," Ms Rhiannon said.

For more information: 0427 861 568

Visit Lee's End South East Woodchipping site

The view from the woodchip mill over Twofold Bay is stunning. Activities on the ground remain deeply disturbing. We had the opportunity to walk to the top of the mill where the conveyor belt moves the woodchips across the mill to the container ships.

The three Greens MPs came together for this visit to help step up the campaign to close the Eden chipmill, stop the destruction of native forests and develop a package to restructure the industry and retrain the workforce.

From our discussions with the chipmill management and observations of the mill's operations it is clear that the need to shutdown woodchipping operations are as urgent as ever.

Since the woodchip mill was set up in 1969 by Daishowa Paper Manufacturing Company over 35 million tonnes of native forest chips have been exported, mostly to Japan. Nippon Paper, now the majority shareholder, records healthy profits because it pays next to nothing for its native forest logs.

Sue, Deb and I met with Peter Mitchell, General Manager, and Peter Rutherford, Forestry Manager, of South East Fibre Exports Pty Ltd. While they were helpful and willing to answer our questions their current plan to expand the chipmill to include a biomass energy plant is deeply troubling.

At a time when the Eden Chipmill should be wound down management are publicly spruiking their biomass energy plan that would lock in native forest logging for years. The SEFE management team promote the proposed biomass plant  as clean energy that would take 80 per cent of its fuel from waste generated within the chipmill.

The bulk of this waste – sawdust, bark, shavings and undersized woodchips – comes from native forests so if the proposed multi-million biomass plant was constructed there would be further pressure to log and chip local native forests for decades to maintain a fuel source for the plant.

The NSW government should rule out the proposal before any further time and money is wasted on this exercise.

There is mounting evidence that natural forest systems can store larger amounts of carbon than previously understood. And now the forests in south eastern Australia where logging has occurred and the vegetation is being allowed to re-grow undisturbed have been identified as having one of the highest rates of carbon storage.

In contrast woodchipping operations boost greenhouse gas emissions.

Our visit to the chipmill prompted us to do the sums on what SEFE should pay for their carbon pollution. We have sent Peter Mitchell an invoice for the $181 million cost of the carbon pollution generated as a result of 2006/7 logging. This is in fact a conservative figure using an Emissions Trading Scheme based on $10 per tonne of carbon dioxide. Sir Nicholas Stern in his report to the British government put a value of $107 per tonne on carbon dioxide. Using this figure the invoice would rise to $1.9 billion

Sue, Deb and I visited the chipmill on the first day of spring. It was good to be together and on the far south coast. Our resolve to work with the locals and all those committed to depositing this destructive industry in the dustbin of history is strong. Local groups, like Chipstop have campaigned on this issue for years.

In coming months we will step up the Greens campaign to close the woodchip mill and stop the logging of native forests.

Then the NSW south east coast would have the same status as the Victorian Wilderness Coast.

That is the legacy we need to work for – a Wilderness Coast joining NSW and Victoria with woodchipping relegated to the Eden Museum along with the whaling industry.

"The Auditor General says Forests NSW should review its pricing to make it transparent and ensure costs are recovered (rec 8, p6). But the reality is that the downturn in the wood chip industry will make it impossible to turn these losses around," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The native forest industry managed by Forests NSW is a financial albatross. The economic downturn is only set to increase losses to the public purse from this financially unviable industry.

"The global economic crisis has hit the wood chip industry hard at the same time as the Auditor-General is asking Forests NSW to increase its profits.

"The reality is that the industry will be arguing for reduced prices and an even greater subsidy from the public purse than it is already getting.

"The NSW and Victorian governments have subsidised the Eden chip mill by approximately $8 million in 2006-2007.

"Forests NSW says it is working to achieve "a cash-neutral or better financial outcome for Native Forests Operations Branch within three years" but provides no plans for how (p7).

"The report also shows Forests NSW is long overdue in conducting reviews to estimate whether it has sufficient native timber to meet is obligations now and into the future.

"The Auditor-General criticises Forests NSW for failing to review yield estimates for the southern region due in 2004 for Eden and 2006 for Tumut and the south coast (p4).

"This report also fails to include in its economic analysis the value of the carbon stored in native forests.

"Climate change means we cannot ignore the significant environmental costs of continuing to log our native forests," Ms Rhiannon said.

For more information: 9230 3551, 0427 861 568

Auditor General's report at:

http://www.audit.nsw.gov.au/publications/reports/performance/2009/forests/forests-contents.htm

"The Auditor General says Forests NSW should review its pricing to make it transparent and ensure costs are recovered (rec 8, p6). But the reality is that the downturn in the wood chip industry will make it impossible to turn these losses around," Ms Rhiannon said.

"The native forest industry managed by Forests NSW is a financial albatross. The economic downturn is only set to increase losses to the public purse from this financially unviable industry.

"The global economic crisis has hit the wood chip industry hard at the same time as the Auditor-General is asking Forests NSW to increase its profits.

"The reality is that the industry will be arguing for reduced prices and an even greater subsidy from the public purse than it is already getting.

"The NSW and Victorian governments have subsidised the Eden chip mill by approximately $8 million in 2006-2007.

"Forests NSW says it is working to achieve "a cash-neutral or better financial outcome for Native Forests Operations Branch within three years" but provides no plans for how (p7).

"The report also shows Forests NSW is long overdue in conducting reviews to estimate whether it has sufficient native timber to meet is obligations now and into the future.

"The Auditor-General criticises Forests NSW for failing to review yield estimates for the southern region due in 2004 for Eden and 2006 for Tumut and the south coast (p4).

"This report also fails to include in its economic analysis the value of the carbon stored in native forests.

"Climate change means we cannot ignore the significant environmental costs of continuing to log our native forests," Ms Rhiannon said.

For more information: 9230 3551, 0427 861 568

Auditor General's report at:

http://www.audit.nsw.gov.au/publications/reports/performance/2009/forests/forests-contents.htm

"This situation highlights a serious loophole in the electoral laws passed last year," Ms Rhiannon said.

"Under new laws, individual councillors who receive donations from developers are blocked from voting on relevant developments, while councillors who are part of a group or party can have the donations sent to head office and vote as normal.

"Although the Shoalhaven Independents Group received $2,000 in donations from Malbec, the councillors still voted on the application, arguing they only had a non-pecuniary interest in the development.

"When these new laws were being debated the Greens pointed out the problem to the government, but it refused to fix it.

"This loophole in the legislation allows developers to skirt around laws designed to increase accountability by donating directly to the head office of a political party or group.

"This is the first example the Greens have seen of councillors exploiting this weakness in new electoral laws, but I doubt it will be the last.

"Despite the government's promises to clean up donations following the scandals that led to the sacking of Wollongong and Tweed councils, we now see that the new electoral laws have seen little change.

"The Premier should immediately move to close this and other loopholes if he wants to convince the electorate that he is serious about cleaning up political donations," Ms Rhiannon said.

For more information: 9230 3551, 0427 861 568