The Supreme Court’s decision to halt logging in Southern Tasmanian swift parrot habitat is a huge win for this endangered species, and continues to stain the Liberals’ log-at-all-cost operations across the state.
In a decision handed down soon after an application made by Bob Brown Foundation, Supreme Court Justice David Porter has found there’s a serious question for the Government to answer about their logging plans, and put a halt to logging in an area of forest near Geeveston.
The Liberals have made no secret of their contempt for Tasmania’s threatened wildlife, and been cheerleaders for the logging in critical habitat for the swift parrot and other species. Right to Information and other evidence has long exposed the systemic approval of logging in swift parrot habitat, against the explicit advice of scientists working to protect the species.
Scientists, environmentalists, and the Greens have repeatedly called out these practices for pushing this iconic bird towards extinction, and now Bob Brown Foundation have achieved an important legal win, and a stay on logging pending the resolution of the case.
With the Supreme Court finding there’s a serious question about the legality of logging in this area, there is now a significant cloud hanging over all logging operations that affect swift parrot habitat.
With such a fundamental legal matter now under consideration by Tasmania’s highest court, the only responsible thing for the government to do is to press pause on all logging of swift parrot habitat across the state.
Forging ahead with the logging and burning of forest areas that are now under a legal cloud, in the face of a series of court challenges, would be a reckless new low, even for the Liberals.
