Today, we have again seen the Bob Brown Foundation (BBF) attempting to stoke the forest wars in Tasmania in a desperate bid for relevance and donations.
Our forests are the ultimate renewable resource. The value in this industry is not just in timber, but in the jobs, livelihoods and the regional communities it supports.
At a time when the nation is rightly focussed on getting people back into work, we have the BBF & extreme greens trying to shut down an industry and put Tasmanians out of work.
BBF activists including Bob Brown were allegedly protesting on Permanent Timber Production Zone land and halting the lawful work of a sustainable industry.
No doubt, they will wear these arrests as a badge of honour, but there is no honour in breaking the law and endangering hardworking Tasmanians.
The Government strongly supports the right to peaceful, lawful protest. It is one of our key democratic principles.
What our government does not support is activist organisations masquerading as charities, and this week we have announced new regulations to prohibit charities from committing offences including trespass, unlawful entry, malicious damage or vandalism, or threatening violence.
Those who work in the forestry industry are honest and hardworking Australians who are trying to make a living in a legal, sustainable, high value, world class industry and they deserve to be supported.
We have a world class, sustainable forestry industry that deserves to be celebrated not decimated by those suffering relevance deprivation.