By Anne Pavy
PERTH — Eighty people have been blockading logging operations near the town of Manjimup, south west of here since July 1. Despite timber industry statements that there would be a moratorium on logging for three weeks, protesters discovered several places where logging work was being carried out.
The protest has been peaceful; there has been no confrontation between the blockaders and the timber workers. As the protesters moved into logging coupes to protect the forests, the loggers have quietly moved on to other areas leaving their machinery and the logs behind.
This blockade has highlighted the gap between the federal government's rhetoric and the reality of its forest policy.
On June 28, in his first major policy speech, environment minister Senator John Faulkner interpreted the moratorium clause in the 1992 National Forest Policy statement (which all states, with the exception of Tasmania, signed) as meaning that old growth forest and wilderness likely to have high conservation value should not be logged.
Faulkner was quoted as saying, "In my view, it's crazy to be assessing the values of old growth forests while logging them at the same time".
Commenting on this, Greens (WA) Senator Christabel Chamarette said, "It is encouraging that we now have an environment minister who recognises the only logical interpretation of the moratorium clause".
Given Faulkner's comments, it seems incongruous that the Western Australian Forest Alliance (WAFA) has found it necessary to organise a blockade to protect native forests that were placed on the interim list of the national estate register in March.
The sites, which include the Rocky, Sharpe, Giblett and Hawke forest blocks, were listed after detailed examinations had shown them to be of national significance for their age, wilderness values and rare and endangered species.
The register is Australia's highest national recognition of the ecological, aesthetic, scientific or cultural value of an area. In the past, sites placed on interim list have been considered to be on the register.
The federal government is responsible for issuing annual woodchip export licences. Under Section 30 of the Australian Heritage Commission Act, the federal minister for the environment is legally bound to prevent logging in these areas until an examination has shown that there are no "prudent and feasible" alternative log sources.
A Senate Estimates Committee hearing recently uncovered the federal government's ignorance about possible breaches of the environmental conditions of the export woodchip licences.
After being questioned by the two Green Senators, the Department of Primary Industries and Energy admitted that it had not monitored the area to ensure compliance with the environmental conditions.
Responding to a question in the Senate, primary industry and energy minister Senator Bob Collins tried to pass the buck, saying that the states were responsible.
At the launch of the blockade on July 1, Chamarette commented, "If the state government knows about breaches of these conditions, then their inaction shows that they couldn't really care.
"That is why there is no alternative left but peaceful direct action in the forests. The blockade will let the community know what is happening in these national estate forests, because, if left to governments, we would never know."