Massive support for Bob Brown

Greens Senator Bob Brown announced on June 8 that Forestry Tasmania was demanding he pay $240,000 owed to them in legal costs before June 29 or else they would start bankruptcy proceedings against him.

If Brown were to be declared bankrupt he would be forced to leave his Senate seat. The costs resulted from a court case that Brown brought against Forestry Tasmania to stop them from logging the Wielangta forest near Hobart.

Brown won his original court case, but the win was overturned on a technicality by the full bench of the Federal Court after the Howard government joined forces with the Tasmanian government to change the law.

After Brown announced publicly that he would be unable to pay the bill on time, more than 1000 people made donations. Within days, enough money was raised. Any extra money raised will be given to other environmental campaigns.

From GLW issue 798