Bob Brown Foundation welcomes Minister Bowen’s decision to restore the exclusion of burning native forests as an eligible source of renewable energy secured by Bob Brown, Christine Milne and the Greens as part of the Clean Energy Package negotiated under the Gillard Government a decade ago.
“This is the logical conclusion to the two steps forward and one step back process that has characterised Australian energy policy,” BBF Patron and former Greens leader Christine Milne said
“We are pleased that Minister Bowen has recognised that the community wants our forests and our wildlife protected and not logged and burnt to extend the life of coal fired power stations,” Christine Milne said.
“People can scarcely believe that anyone would be so ignorant of the climate and biodiversity science or so indifferent to our threatened and endangered species that they would think it was appropriate to destroy our precious forests to burn them for power. People will be relieved their morning toast is not cooked on the back of dead animals in clear felled coupes,” Christine Milne said.
“But sadly that is what the Tasmanian Government wants to do to Tasmania’s forests and today’s announcement will send a strong signal to investors to reject the idea completely. Coal fired power station need to close , not fuel switch to our forests, an even more emissive source of energy,” Milne said.
“BBF campaigned hard on this issue and our petition attracted 1500 submissions to Minister Bowen’s. This decision will buoy the conservation community by providing some hope that the Government is starting to listen to the climate and biodiversity science.”
“This announcement is a first step towards forest conservation. The next one is to protect our remaining forests from logging as part of the Government’s No Extinction policy and as part of increased climate ambition,” Ms Milne said.