Ongoing tensions between conservation efforts and the interests of the logging industry in the area have been highlighted by a recent development in northern New South Wales (NSW). The Federal Court of Australia has rejected a key challenge that environmental defenders believed would stop native forest logging there. In the first-ever legal challenge to a Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) in the state, the North East Forest Alliance (NEFA) challenged the 2018 extension of the North East RFA. They argued that the Commonwealth and state had neglected to assess the impacts of large-scale logging on climate change, endangered species such as koalas, and old-growth forests.
The Environmental Defenders Office (EDO), representing NEFA, argued that renewing the RFA was not right without following the assessment and approval requirements of federal environmental laws, but Federal Court Justice Melissa Perry dismissed those arguments on Jan. 10, determining that such an assessment was unnecessary. Further, she explained that an RFA was another way to reach the federal government’s environmental goals by working with different government levels, and noted that no conclusions were drawn regarding the environmental sustainability of logging, resulting in deep disappointment from NEFA President Dailan Pugh and Vice-President Susie Russell.
The Nature Conservation Council of New South Wales (NCC) is urging the state’s Climate Change Minister Penny Sharpe to take action, develop a transition plan, and permanently stop the native forest logging industry. They are determined to continue the fight, while the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has supported the Federal Court decision, arguing it confirms the federal-state regulatory framework effectively oversees sustainable native forestry operations in NSW, supporting the industry’s contribution to the economy.
Meanwhile, timber harvesting operations have stopped in 106 koala hubs within the areas assessed for inclusion in the Great Koala National Park, and NSW Premier Chris Minns are actively working to create the park, backed by a state fund of $80 million.