Hi, you will see from the attached media release that the first step has been taken in an attempt to open up national parks for logging and shooting. We could lose everything we gained. I believe this is a real threat that we need to try to head off now. I am after volunteers to take on the tasks of contacting local members and seeking assurances in writing from them that they will not support logging and shooting in national parks or the revocation of existing national parks. We need to contact every member in north-east NSW and ask them for a response within a limited time frame. It would be best if they were contacted by people who live in their electorates – though there will be some where this will not be possible. Someone needs to co-ordinate the process and collate the responses. Any volunteers?
Regards
Dailan

MEDIA RELEASE 21 April 2012
Local Members Asked to Repudiate Attempts to Open Up National Parks for Logging and Shooting

The North East Forest Alliance says the decision of the NSW Legislative Council to inquire into the past conversion of crown lands and state forests in northern NSW into national parks appears to have the intent of paving the way for the opening up of National Parks for logging and shooting under the guise of “sustainable use”.

NEFA spokesperson Dailan Pugh said that “all national parks in northern NSW are up for grabs, though we expect the Coalition will be targeting the 50% of national parks created since they were last in power.

“The fact that the inquiry is chaired by the Shooters and Fishers Party and dominated by the Coalition leaves little doubt that the outcome has been pre-determined.

“There is currently a timber supply crisis in northern NSW. In 2004 the Labor Government gave 20 year guarantees of large sawlogs from state forests to millers at levels that simply did not exist.

“The Government has not been able to provide the committed volumes any year since and the situation is rapidly worsening, with only 60% of commitments supplied last year. The Government has already had to buy back commitments and compensate millers, and are now liable for massive compensation payouts.

“It is now becoming apparent why the Coalition Government has not heeded our call to reduce timber commitments. They appear to have a different solution.

“The National Party was well aware of the supply crisis before the election and some members expressed their preference for opening up national parks for logging, though the Coalition denied they had any intent to do so.

“The Government should be urgently reducing logging down to sustainable levels rather than removing the protection afforded to national parks.

“The Nationals need to realise that the community has moved on and no longer accepts the widespread logging of rainforests, oldgrowth forests, wilderness and threatened species habitat that occurred when they were last in power.

“We are calling on people to contact their local State Government member and ask them for personal commitments that they will not support the revoking of national parks or opening them up for logging and shooting” Mr. Pugh said.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT DAILAN PUGH ON 66 807063