By Steve Painter
Protests against NSW Forestry Commission roading activities in Chaelundi state forest ended their third week with work interrupted by three protesters chained to a bulldozer, others sitting in threatened trees, and the commission tied up in court facing an unprecedented legal challenge.
Late on August 9, Australian Democrat NSW upper house MP Richard Jones announced that the Land and Environment Court had "forced the Forestry Commission to give an undertaking that it will not perform any further roading or logging in Chaelundi State Forest until an environmentalists' injunction has been fully heard".
Earlier that afternoon, John Corkill had begun legal action for the North East Forest Alliance under a never previously used provision of the National Parks and Wildlife Act. NEFA is seeking an injunction under section 99 of the act, which relates to the killing or disturbance of endangered species. NEFA claims to have identified 17 known endangered species in the Chaelundi forest.
The commission's undertaking to the court will prevent it going ahead with plans to carry out roading activity under cover of darkness while NEFA's case is heard. Justice Stein sought the undertaking after hearing evidence from leading scientists that logging Chaelundi would endanger rare marsupials and owls.
The court ruling followed state cabinet's rejection of a recommendation by environment minister Tim Moore that the Chaelundi area be preserved. "It is a slap in the face for the National Party dinosaurs who are the driving force behind the minority government's environment policies", said Richard Jones.
Meanwhile, protesters are remaining in the forest. The commission's closure of the area to the public has not ended the protests, and activists claim their position might even have been strengthened by the forced move of their camps to the forest boundaries and adjacent Guy Fawkes National Park.
So far, the commission has built about 15 km of road into Chaelundi, but in doing so forest activists believe it has seriously violated environmental guidelines and acted illegally. NEFA adds that the commission has not provided information about the Dorrigo Forestry Management Area despite requests made more than three months ago under the Freedom of Information Act.
The protesters are confident the fight for Chaelundi is winnable, and have repeated calls for additional support and protests to the
state government. The main protest camp is at the Misty Creek camping area in the national park, and has a good water supply and plenty of firewood and space.
Much of the protest activity inside Chaelundi is being conducted by a group known as "the Ferals", operating from a camp in the national park accessible only by foot.
Protesters say police operations against their blockades and protests have already cost more than would be necessary to restructure the Grafton timber mill to handle logs from regrowth forest rather than old growth. Police costs would be mounting dramatically following their establishment of a round-the-clock presence. Police for Chaelundi are being drawn from as far away as Tweed Heads and Newcastle.
NEFA spokesperson Andrew Steed says even a much larger police operation would probably be unable to stop the protests, as the disputed Broadmeadows Road is only a few metres from the national park, which is not closed to the public.
Protesters say relations with police have generally been good, though not without incident, and that their dispute is with the Forestry Commission, not the police. Some police have even expressed sympathy for attempts to save the forest from logging operations.
Support for the protest remains strong, with new supporters arriving frequently, many donations of food and equipment, and a local band organising a major benefit concert.
Directions to the protest are available from the Big Scrub Environment Centre, Lismore, phone (066) 213 278. Protest faxes should be sent to Premier Nick Greiner (02) 252 2291, letters to Premier Greiner, Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney 2000.