Forest hero’s arrest highlights Lennon-Howard fail

Thursday, 11 May 2006

Forest hero’s arrest highlights Lennon-Howard failure

The use of a highly-trained special squad of police, dropped from a helicopter, to arrest forest hero Peter Firth in the Styx Valley of the Giants this morning highlights the failure of Tasmanian Premier Lennon and Prime Minister Howard to protect Australia’s old-growth forest heritage, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.

“Amongst the tallest hardwood trees in the world, this bizarre police operation, fostering woodchip corporation Gunns Ltd’s bottom line, was preceded by a ban on media,” said Senator Brown.

“Peter has been 55 metres high in the tree for 51 days. One day a Tasmanian wedgetail eagle, listed by Canberra as a nationally endangered species, landed in his tree. Today he was extracted so that the tree can be destroyed so the eagle can go closer to extinction.”

“Peter Firth has shown great patriotism as the political leaders tear down this national heirloom forest. The Prime Minister’s promise to protect 18,700 hectares of old-growth forest in the Florentine and Styx valleys has been shattered.” Senator Brown said.

ENDS

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