Gunns renews effort to sue protesters

HOBART — Tasmanian logging company Gunns has renewed its efforts to sue protesters for alleged trespass, sabotage and destruction of logging property, by filing a third claim for damages in the Victorian Supreme Court on August 15.

However, in a victory for environmentalists and defenders of free speech, on August 17 Gunns was ordered to pay the 20 defendants the full costs involved in challenging its first two statements of claim, both of which were struck out of court.

In striking out the second claim last month, Justice Bernard Bongiorno described parts of the 360-page claim as "embarrassing and unintelligible".

The 17 individuals and three environment organisations being sued by Gunns were able to breathe a "great sigh of relief", Greens Senator Bob Brown said in response to the decision.

In response to the revised statement of claim, which seeks damages of almost $7 million, defendants indicated that they would again seek to have it struck out because it was too confusing to mount a defence.

Tasmanian Greens leader Peg Putt expressed the determination of the defendants when she told reporters on August 16 that "there is no way that I am going to do anything other than fight this new claim".

Susan Austin

From Green Left Weekly, August 24, 2005.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 639