Assistant Minister for Forestry Jonathon Duniam has condemned a protestor who carried a child on her back while chaining herself to an operating header at a logging site in East Gippsland. Source: Timberbiz
Reports from the site said the protestor – believed to a member of the Goongerah Environment Centre – leapt from bushes where she hid from forest workers and attached herself to a machine while it was in operation with a baby clinging to her back.
Speaking on Sky News this week, Senator Duniam said using the toddler as a “political pawn” for an anti-logging protest showed the parent was more concerned with “political points” than the “welfare” of their own child.
“It’s sad to be talking about this in 2021 where you got mums and dads using their kids as political pawns,” he told Sky news host Rita Panahi.
“An infant, a toddler, walking around a dangerous worksite where you got big moving machinery, spinning blades, trees falling on the ground; what kind of a parent does that … someone who’s more interested in scoring a political point than the welfare of their own child.”
Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton said Senator Duniam was correct.
“This incident was quite frankly a disgrace,” Mr Hampton said. “It should go without saying that heavy machinery sites, such as forestry harvesting operations, are potentially very dangerous. Although our operators place health and safety as the number one priority, unlawful access is outside their control. Those who do this put their lives at risk and in this case the life of a toddler.
“We of course support the right of all Australians to protest about the things they are concerned about, however not in ways which are illegal and put themselves and our operators at risk,” he said.
“All the environmental advocacy groups involved in forestry debates should also be seeking to stop this behaviour. It will be a great tragedy if someone is badly injured or killed.”
Mr Hampton said the irony of the situation was that Australian native forestry operations are actually the envy of the world in terms of their very high level of environmental standards.
All areas harvested were replanted, or regenerated, by law and certified sustainable.
“Australian environmental activist groups which continue to try to close this industry in Australia never can answer the question – is it ethical to stop using Australian hardwood timber for our floors, decking and stairs when we know the replacement timber will likely be imported from countries that practice deforestation,” Mr Hampton said.
