Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) has been forced to back down after wrongly issuing notices banning 19 environmental protesters from entering over 800,000 hectares of Tasmanian public forest.
The notices, issued last year, barred protesters from entering all permanent timber production zone land and forestry roads in response to protest action against the logging of a 17-hectare native coupe in Meunna, in the state’s north-west.
Bob Brown Foundation campaign manager Scott Jordan described the ban as “illegal intimidation”, saying it prevented some protesters from leaving their homes or going to work.
“This is an embarrassing backdown by the state logging agency who have taken six months to come clean,” he said.
“That Forestry Tasmania, a government agency, acted in such an unlawful and clearly intimidatory manner is a symptom of a government that will do anything to prevent public protest against logging of our precious native forests.”
Jordan said the business has agreed to cover the protesters’ estimated $27,000 legal costs after admitting the notices were invalid.
“These orders against peaceful protesters had the effect of criminalising entry to public forests, including preventing people under orders from entering their workplaces and, in at least one case, being able to step outside their front gate,” he said.
“Minister Eric Abetz must take action to hold this rogue agency to account.”
Sustainable Timber Tasmania is blaming a “technical matter” with the notices that led to them being revoked and correctly revised.
They have yet to elaborate on the nature of the error or disclose how many protesters have received notices.
Minister Guy Barnett dismissed calls for an apology, instead saying the government will continue to back workers and crack down on protesters who act outside of the law.
“Tasmanians know that it’s right for Tasmanians who want to go to work. They should be entitled to go to work, earn a living, support their families, support their kids, put food on the table and not be interfered with or intimidated by protesters or anybody else,” he said.
“We know the Bob Brown Foundation is opposed to forestry and jobs in our productive industries. They have a record of that.”
“As a government, we support our workers in all of our productive industries, whether it be forestry, salmon, mining, agriculture, across the community.”
“We will not relent on supporting our workers and families that deserve that support.”
