Bob Brown Foundation conservationists claim victory as Sustainable Timbers Tasmania agree to pay legal costs
Conservationists are claiming a legal victory after Sustainable Timbers Tasmania agree to pay legal costs.
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Conservationists from the Bob Brown Foundation have claimed a legal victory against government-owned forester Sustainable Timber Tasmania, after the company conceded prohibition orders it issued earlier this year against protesters at Meunna were invalid, and agreeing to pay court costs.
The Bob Brown Foundation launched legal action against STT after prohibition orders were handed to 19 protesters at the logging coupe near Wynyard in January and February this year.
Speaking outside the Supreme Court in Hobart on Wednesday, lead application Scott Jordan said the order, which effectively banned protesters from all FT-managed public forests for an indeterminate period, were an attempt to stymie peaceful protest in the state.
“To apply there orders was clearly an attempt at intimidation, and, as we have seen Forestry Tasmania has been forced to reach out with a settlement, agreeing that they did the wrong thing and that the orders were unlawful,” Mr Jordan said.
“This was a significant overreach by Forestry Tasmania, and was clearly designed to punish protesters.
“Forestry Tasmania have been forced to reach out with a settlement, agreeing that they did the wrong thing, that the orders were unlawful, and to pay the legal costs of our 19 litigants.”
Sustainable Timber Tasmania, general manager conservation and land management, Suzette Weeding, told the Mercury that in February, STT had identified “a technical matter” associated with prohibition notices issued to protesters from at an active harvesting operation in forest coupe PU043E.
“In response, Sustainable Timber Tasmania revoked the notices on 15th February 2024,” Ms Weeding said.
“Sustainable Timber Tasmania has since revised the prohibition notice.
“All Prohibition Notices issued from March 2024 are valid.”
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