Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning the Tarkine/Takayna rainforest in Tasmania was silent except for the sound of birdsong, the wind in the trees and the buzzing of insects. The forest-killing machines have left a precious, biodiverse, ancient pocket of rainforest. Why have they left? Because courageous forest defenders have stopped them. They spent 29 days protecting this forest from destruction, and 29 people have been arrested doing the job our environment laws have failed to do: taking care of our carbon-rich forest, our first line of defence in our climate emergency, and the wildlife that calls it home. This wildlife includes masked owls, azure kingfishers, white-bellied sea eagles and wedge-tailed eagles.

The community were called to help protect the Tarkine and they answered. Thank you to the hundreds of people who were part of this in recent months. In all your roles behind the scenes cooking, donating, loving, helping, driving and carrying heavy things, you were all contributing. If governments are failing in their duty to protect our critical forests then it's a citizen's right, indeed it is their duty, to step in for them and peacefully disrupt, agitate, defend and protest. The real criminals are sitting in places like our parliaments, subsidising the destruction of our environment. The real criminals are the industries that cower behind the weak laws that protect them. It is a dark day when our governments can silence, punish or suppress those who stand up to defend the environment.