Former Greens leader Bob Brown shares his wild ideas over a cuppa

CAFE SOCIETY: FORMER Greens leader Bob Brown shares his vision for the state.

Bob Brown in his favorite booth at Retro in Salamanca. Picture: SAM ROSEWARNE.

HOT milkshakes may not be on the menu, but when you have been coming to a cafe for as long as Bob Brown has been coming to Retro at Salamanca, special privileges may apply.

“Don’t tell everyone,” he jokes of his choc-malt warmers, “or they’ll all want them.”

The former Greens leader is drinking long black coffee this morning, though. His partner, Paul Thomas, is with us, quietly tapping away on an iPad.

We are here to talk about ideas for Tasmania’s future, as I will be every Thursday in this column with a special guest at an eatery of their choice.

Tasmania’s most revered figure – admittedly a polarising one – was the obvious first choice, given few ponder the future more intensely than seasoned environmentalists.

Brown has been coming to Retro, a cosy coffee house opposite State Parliament, for almost 30 years. “Look at it this morning,” he says. “It’s packed, it’s warm, and I’ve got my secret recipes here.”

He laughs. He nearly wept here one day, though, in 2003, a few days after he interrupted visiting US President George W. Bush’s speech to Federal Parliament, to rebuke him over the Iraq invasion.

Bob Brown heckles George W. Bush as he addresses Federal Parliament in 2003. Picture: AP/Charles Dharapak

“And I copped it,” says Brown. “There was a very hostile press conference … and various threats by shock jocks to dump me in the ocean.

“And I walked in here to Retro on the Saturday and the whole place erupted in applause. It was astonishing to come home to an intelligent, small ‘l’ liberal coterie of Hobartians. I almost shed a tear. So, in a way, Retro is the home away from home for me.”

Seargeant-at-Arms David Elder attempts to eject Bob Brown from the chamber. Picture: JOHN FEDER

George W. Bush shakes hands with Bob Brown after his protest. Picture: ANDREW TAYLOR

As for our future, Brown thinks big. He would love Tasmania to be known as World Heritage Wilderness Island, a place synonymous with natural and human heritage. This goal is at the heart of the non-profit Bob Brown Foundation.

“It would not affect private land holdings,” he says. The UNESCO listings of wilderness and convict sites would expand to include the Tarkine, the remains of the southern forest, some marine areas and kunanyi/Mt Wellington.

Restoring Lake Pedder is another vision close to Brown’s heart. The flooding of Pedder in 1972 steeled the resolve of many of the protesters he led at the height of the Franklin No Dams campaign a decade later. Reclaiming Pedder would bring tremendous hope. He points to the US, where about 1000 dams have been deconstructed, including two on Washington State’s Elwha River that are bigger than Pedder’s, where joy is springing along with the river’s recovery. The project would create jobs and could birth a global centre for restorative ecology: “It will bring people and scientists from around the world to watch the spectacle of a natural area recovering.”

Bob Brown, third from left, with a group of environmentalists protesting against the damming of Lake Pedder.

Another restorative act he wants is the return of more land to traditional owners to manage, starting with the Tarkine in the North-West. “It’s only 7 per cent of Tasmania. They lost 100 per cent,” he says. “Again, this is involving no private land … Surely it will enrich us all if it goes back to the Aboriginal people.”

He wants the State Government to do more to promote Aboriginal heritage. One of the questions he is most often asked by foreign visitors is “How do I find out about the Aboriginal culture?”

The private sector has a key role to play in the direction of tourism generally. “It needs to step up and stake its vision for Tasmania in 2050,” he says.

Brown has given Premier Will Hodgman a list of 12 areas where enterprise could expand with eco resorts outside protected areas. He believes the State Government is focused on facilitating business activity in protected wilderness rather than encouraging would-be operators to invest in private property.

“Tasmania has a road system that allows you to see waterfalls, rainforest, snow-capped mountains, marvellous beaches and wildlife without impacting on the wilderness.

“Give people the experience they want: a day trip and a comfortable place to come back to at night and have a glass of red with a nice meal looking over a beautiful scene.

“That doesn’t require you building lodges, helipads and ablution blocks in the wilderness itself. It says let’s do this first in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie, but let’s also consider those towns Waratah, Maydena, Strahan, St Helens, Derby, the places that are already close to wild areas.

“[We should be] getting ready for 10 million visitors a year in the second half of this century. …. If we don’t prepare to manage [Tasmania’s wildness] we are going to lose it.”

Two or three decades ago Brown was likely to be abused at Salamanca Place. Now people approach him in support.

“I haven’t changed, but the public has,” he says. “The only thing is that it’s become a little bit dormant in expressing its feelings … [but] the recent rallies on the cable car, the Tarkine and Invasion Day are signs that the Tasmanian public is on the move again. And I feel very good about that.”