WA forest campaign goes national

WA forest campaign goes national

By Jonathan Singer

Following the signing of the Western Australian regional forest agreement (RFA) on May 4, Bunnings hardware stores in Melbourne have been targeted by environmentalists. Actions at the shops, coordinated by the Wilderness Society (TWS) and supported by a coalition including Friends of the Earth, Environment Victoria and student environmental campaigners, aim to expose Bunnings' role in the destruction of WA and East Gippsland old-growth forests.

TWS Victorian campaigner Gavan McFadzean said in a statement last week, "Bunnings is Australia's second largest export woodchipper of native forest and the driving force behind clear-fell logging of WA's unique old-growth karri and jarrah forests."

WA TWS campaigner David Mackenzie said, "Wesfarmers Bunnings appear to have been the major corporate supporter and the only beneficiary of the highly discredited RFA. Under this agreement, one-third of WA's remaining old-growth forest will be destroyed. While the WA old-growth forest campaign is set to escalate in the political arena and in the forests, a major new focus will be corporate campaigning."

TWS has launched the "Buy-Pass Bunnings" campaign to convince people not to shop at Bunnings and other Wesfarmers-owned stores. Bunnings also sell and distribute native forest timber products for the largest clear-fell logging company and woodchipper in East Gippsland, East Gippsland Logging Pty Ltd.

From GLW issue 362