Greens will seek native forest logging ban in minority negotiations, teals may follow

Bob Brown may be long gone from federal politics, but his foundation plans a carbon tax-style post-election coup to end native forest logging. The Greens are on side, the teals may follow.

Forests in Tasmania's takayna / Tarkine region the Bob Brown Foundation says are threatened by logging or recently logged. Picture: BBF

You can now listen to The Australian's articles. Give us your feedback.

You can now listen to The Australian's articles.

Native forest logging could be outlawed as part of a post-federal election minority government deal, with the Greens vowing to include it in their demands and the teals also considering it.

The Bob Brown Foundation is lobbying federal independent MPs and the Greens to make ending native forest logging a “non-negotiable” condition on their support for any minority government.

With polls pointing to a potential hung parliament, the BBF hopes the tactic could end native forest logging, much as the Gillard-Greens deal in 2010 delivered a carbon tax and renewables funding.

“Our focus is ending native forest logging this election,” BBF campaign manager Jenny Weber told The Weekend Australian. “We will embark on a big campaign.

“We’re asking the Greens and independents to have ending native forest logging as a bargaining tool in the negotiations in a minority government response. Our aim is to make it a non-negotiable item.”

Greens forests spokesman Nick McKim confirmed his party would put the issue on the table in any power-sharing negotiations after the election, due in May.

“Ending native forest logging is critical to protect threatened species and mitigate catastrophic climate breakdown, and is of course a high priority for the Greens,” Senator McKim told The Weekend Australian.

“We’ll keep fighting for it in whatever way we can and whenever we can, including in any negotiations after the next election.”

A logging coupe in Tasmania's takayna / Tarkine region the Bob Brown Foundation says was logged in June. Credit: BBF

Ms Weber said the BBF had so far received a “really good response” from the teals – who have all backed an end to native forest logging – and other independents.

Wentworth independent Allegra Spender said it was “too early to be talking about conditions for a minority government”, but backed the cause.

“I’m a strong advocate for ending economically wasteful and environmentally disastrous native forest logging, and I still believe we can put an end to it during this term,” Ms Spender said.

Goldstein independent Zoe Daniel supported ending native forest logging but was “not going to get into a game of ruling every issue in or out”.

Ms Weber said the BBF was also ramping up a program using constituents in key seats to lobby Labor MPs on the issue.

Native forest logging has been banned in Western Australia and Victoria but continues in Tasmania and NSW, although a government-appointed panel in NSW is considering a possible phase-out within four years.

Ms Weber said 10 anti-logging rallies would be held nationally on November 3, as well as 10 marches in March 2025, when some pundits are tipping the election to be held.

Forests at Blue Tier, in Tasmania's northeast, once protected but now earmarked for potential logging. Pictures: Rob Blakers

The government is already under crossbench pressure in the Senate to end the exemption logging enjoys from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Forestry operations do not require approval under this centrepiece environmental law, unlike other industries, on the basis that they are covered by Regional Forest Agreements.

Conservationists and some scientists argue the exemption means forestry operations continue to have significant impacts on threatened species, such as the swift parrot.

The Greens and some crossbenchers are making removal of the exemption a condition of support for the government’s latest environmental law reforms.

Protesters at a logging coupe in Tasmania's takayna / Tarkine region. Picture: BBF

Should that push fail, conservation groups vow to make it an election issue. “Strong national environment laws that close the native forest logging loophole are a key demand the Australian Conservation Foundation will put to all political parties ahead of the coming federal election,” said ACF national nature campaigner Jess Abrahams.

Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said her reforms would bring native forest logging under national environment laws “for the first time ever”.

The changes retain forestry’s exemption but require RFAs to comply with national environmental standards.

Ms Plibersek called on crossbenchers who “care about our environment” to back the changes before the Senate, establishing a national environment watchdog. “Environment Protection Australia will be a tough cop on the beat,” she said.