Despite clear legal prohibitions, including Covid-19 restrictions, protestors in Victoria continue to interfere with legal forestry operations by entering worksites. Protestors have reportedly been active near Warburton, north-east of Melbourne, and there have been ongoing clashes in the Central Highlands area. Source: Timberbiz
Police were called after campers set up between Powelltown and Gembrook south-east of Melbourne recently.
Logging contractor Brett Robbin said the group was recognised as known protesters.
Mr Robbin said it was ironic that the group were protesting to save forests but were ruining the integrity of the forest by building campfires and digging holes.
He said he was angry that they were flouting COVID-19 restrictions.
“There seems to be two sets of rules, one for us and one for them,” Mr Robbin said.
Mr Robbin said the protesters claimed to be homeless before being moved on by police.
“They are well known activists. And these people are breaking the rules day after day after day.”
Under Victoria’s strict Covid-19 Stage 3 restrictions which came into effect on 30 March there are only four reasons for people to be out of their homes.
They are for shopping, medical or compassionate needs, exercise “in compliance with the public gathering requirements” and work or study.
The timber industry as well as the National Party and the CFMEU have blasted the State Government’s inaction over the protests.
“At a time when treasury forecasts are pointing to the CoVid-19 pandemic leaving perhaps a million of our fellow Australians on the unemployment queues, it’s appalling that a small number of protestors seem determined to drive thousands more into unemployment by making it impossible for them to do their legitimate jobs,” AFPA CEO Ross Hampton said.
“Our State and Federal Governments have quite rightly designated all forest industries ‘essential’ as the products which we gain from forestry underpin many aspects of modern life,” he said.
The National’s Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath said that the vast majority of people were doing the right thing and adhering to coronavirus social isolation restrictions.
“Not so for native timber protesters camped together near timber coupes in Victoria’s Central Highlands,” she said.
“For far too long protesters have been hampering operations and causing significant mental distress to harvesters, their workers and families.”
The CFMEU, which represents most of the timber works in eastern Victoria, wants its members to email the State Labor Ministers responsible for Forestry, the Environment and the Police and demand that they take action.
“Contractors are the lifeblood of the timber industry. Thousands of jobs rely on the wood they harvest which goes into sawmills and paper milling,” a union statement said.
“For too long forest protestors have been allowed to run amok in forest coupes risking the lives, health and safety and livelihoods of contractors and timber workers.
“Now, they are blatantly breaking COVID-19 laws designed to keep the community safe to continue their selfish, job destroying campaign.”
Mr Hampton said that the combined sectors of native and plantation forestry in this country supplied everything “from toilet tissue and cardboard for food packaging, to the pallets vital for moving groceries into our supermarkets, to the pine framing and appearance grade hardwood without which home construction would grind to a halt”.
“Australian forest industries do all this and, yet the native sector, which is the target of some activists, only accesses about 4 trees out of 10,000 each year – and every tree used is regenerated and regrown by law,” Mr Hampton said.
“At a time when treasury forecasts are pointing to the CoVid-19 pandemic leaving perhaps a million of our fellow Australians on the unemployment queues, it’s appalling that a small number of protestors seem determined to drive thousands more into unemployment by making it impossible for them to do their legitimate jobs.”
The General Manager of the Australian Forest Contractors Association Stacey Gardiner said harvest contractors, abiding by social distancing and workplace safety, were being halted by protestors who “appear to think the same rules don’t apply to them”.
“It’s contractors and their staff who are working legally and abiding by the rules,” Ms Gardiner said.
“They’re making sure they keep their employees safe, but the behaviour of protestors is abhorrent, and they have no regard for workplace safety. Worse still there doesn’t appear to be any willingness on the part of authorities to stop them.”
The Chief Executive of the Victorian Association of Forest Industries Tim Johnston said people who chose to disrupt legal timber harvesting operations put themselves and others at risk.
“There are a range of offences and penalties for these dangerous actions, reflecting the seriousness of the situation. Despite this, the government has consistently dragged its feet on enforcing these penalties and coupes remain closed for days or weeks on end,’’ he said.
“These are the same forest contractors that are asked by the State Government to risk their lives and fight bushfires. They should be allowed to go about their livelihoods, and simply deserve better,” Mr Johnston said.
