Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'm speaking today, devastated by the recent news that an endangered greater glider was found dead only 70 kilometres south of parliament, in the Tallaganda State Forest in south-east New South Wales after its forest home was destroyed by logging. It was killed by industrial scale and style clear-fell logging. The forest was logged and destroyed, recklessly, by the Forestry Corporation of NSW until that state's Environment Protection Agency ordered an immediate stop to operations after repeated calls from conservation groups, forest activists, local community members and the Greens.

I am thankful that the agency intervened, but the harm done by the New South Wales government-owned logging agency cannot be underestimated or undone. Over the last 20 years, the numbers of greater gliders, which used to be common and are now endangered, have declined by up to 80 per cent in some areas due to logging, land clearing and the devastating impacts of the climate crisis. Research has described the Tallaganda forest as one of the only places where this species is still dominant, and conservationists have identified the forest as a priority area for greater glider recovery. But, despite the significance of this forest—because it provides habitat for the greater glider and other endangered species, because it is unceded country for traditional owners, because of its role in soaking up and storing carbon and because it is a destination for hikers, mountain bikers and keen birdwatchers—our national environment laws failed to stop the initial destruction of the Tallaganda.

From Errinundra in Victoria to the Tarkine in Tasmania and the Jarrah Forest of Western Australia, our national environment laws have allowed for decades of reckless destruction of native forests across Australia. They've allowed for threatened species to hurtle towards extinction. Labor, it is up to you. You can end this destruction. You can end native forest logging across the country. You can and you must do it now.