Time for Rees to show he’s no Iemma

The Wilderness Society (Sydney) Inc
Media Release
1 October 2008

Following the release a damning new report that demonstrates that the NSW Government is illegally logging River Red Gums, The Wilderness Society (Sydney) has today called on Premier Rees act on these claims by creating a network of new national parks in our River Red Gum forests.

“Premier Rees has been keen to distance his Government from the failed Iemma regime. One way to demonstrate a new direction is to succeed where Morris Iemma failed and protect our threatened River Red Gums,” said Peter Cooper, Campaigner for The Wilderness Society Sydney.

“In the last few weeks the Premier has received more than 3,000 emails from concerned voters calling for an end to Red Gum logging and new national parks. Meanwhile the government is now facing the embarrassment of a federal investigation of its logging practices.”

The River Red Gum Forests, which include areas recognised as internationally significant under the Ramsar convention, are currently being patch clear-felled for low value products such as fenceposts, firewood and railway sleepers. A new report by NPA has estimated that illegal logging has destroyed as much as 5 football fields a day of forests over the past 5 years.

“Is our new Premier going to listen to the concerns of NSW voters or is the poor environmental record of the Iemma government set to continue?” asked Cooper.