How many times does the NSW Forestry Corporation need to be taken to court, found guilty of breaching NSW law, be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars, fines paid by NSW taxpayers (that's you and me), before questions get asked within the halls of government?
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In July this year it was reported widely that the NSW Forestry Corporation had already been fined over $530,000 in just the previous two months and faced a potential further $18 million in fines if found guilty of charges already in the system.
When John Barilaro was leader of the NSW Nats, as junior Coalition government partner, he was seemingly willing to sink Gladys Berejiklian's government over proposals to protect koalas in NSW.
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He, his National Party cronies and their mates in the logging industry killed off the proposed plan to protect koalas.
My mind went back to plans to protect coastal wetlands several decades ago, when developers opposed them.
Despite extensive evidence that leaving the wetlands untouched was actually of more economic value to the community, development went ahead.
Fisheries lost. The environment lost. Local communities lost.
Now, we see a forestry industry in decline and mounting evidence that leaving forests, particularly old growth and native forests, alone is of greater economic benefit than logging.
In 2016 a study by the Australia Institute found that NSW would be $40 million per year better off by closing down the industry because of year on year losses that were predicted to continue.
A 2021 study of forest areas in the south of the state by Frontier Economics in partnership with Professor Andrew Macintosh of the Australian National University found that based on conservative assumptions, "stopping native forestry in the Southern and Eden RFA areas would produce a net economic benefit to the state of approximately $60 million, while also reducing net greenhouse gas emissions by almost 1 million tonnes (Mt) per year over the period 2022-2041".
Talk about Win - Win!
There is no reason to believe that the results found in the Eden area would not be replicated elsewhere.
The industry is also facing growing community opposition.
To whom will the government listen? Up until now it seems that the NSW Coalition government is listening to the logging industry.
They are certainly not listening to community. In fact, along with other state and territory governments they are ramping up the penalties for protest.
The National Party's commitment to rip it up and rip it out regardless, is costing the region and the state economically, socially and environmentally.
It is clear that the National Party are more than willing to sacrifice the community good on the altar of resource exploitation at all cost ... even at a loss.
The state election in March next year provides an opportunity to voters to send a clear message that they are not going fall for the con job that is being pulled on them.
