A new report has revealed that environmental groups have amassed more than $250 million in donations and are now using donations to enact expensive legal action against the Tasmanian forestry industry.
That is according to a new report published by the Menzies Research Centre this week. The report exposes substantial cash reserves and increases in staffing that environmental activist groups are amassing to declare “lawfare” on legal Tasmanian businesses.
Tasmanian Forest Products Association Chief Executive Officer Nick Steel said the report painted a worrying picture for Tasmanian businesses.
“In recent years, these radical environmentalist groups have spent millions trying to stop legal businesses from undertaking work in Tasmania’s production forests,” Mr Steel said, adding that “these lawsuits are costing taxpayers millions and almost inevitably fail when the case is heard in the courts.”
“It’s clear these lawsuits are being brought just to stop legitimate businesses from undertaking legal work and employing the thousands of Tasmanians across the state’s resource industries – such as forestry, mining, salmon, and agriculture.”
Mr Steel said the Menzies Research Centre report clearly shows that these environmental groups are nothing more than money-making machines, taking donations from inner-city residents in Sydney and Melbourne to decimate the Tasmanian economy.
“Rather than wasting millions of dollars on vexatious court actions, the environmental groups should be working with Tasmanian industries to achieve outcomes the whole community will respect,” Mr Steel said.
“Tasmania’s forestry industry is a world leader in regulation and environmental standards, and if these environmental activists put down their lawyers and came to meet with us in our forests, we could show them the difference we’re making to our state’s future.”
- For more information about campaign donations and how environmental groups are using their favourable Australia Charities and Not-for-profit Association (ACNC) to create war chests for activities, visit Wood Central’s special feature.
