Senator Ricky Muir has this afternoon said in the Senate he will support exemptions for heavy industry and the inclusion of electricity generation from burning native forests within the Renewable Energy Target.

"Exemptions for heavy industry and inclusion of energy generated from burning native forests in the Renewable Energy Target would be a disaster. It would do even more to destroy confidence in Australian clean energy," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

The argument between economics and conservation is a false dichotomy, writes Christine Milne

TASMANIAN Minerals and Energy Council chairman Wayne Bould's Talking Point article (Mercury, December 18) about the Tarkine could not have been more timely.

It came the day after the Supreme Court found the Environment Protection Authority had not followed the law in allowing a mine to store more hazardous waste than its permit specified.

This was the mine that owners claimed would employ 120 people over three years.

Amid reports that Shree Minerals' Nelson Bay River mine is under investigation for breaching its federal environmental permit, Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Abbott government must not proceed with plans to hand protection powers over to the state.

It's believed the Tasmanian Government amended its permit to allow the Nelson Bay River Mine to produce 20 times more acid-producing waste rock than originally planned, but the Federal Environment Department was not notified or given a chance to model the impacts on threatened species.

28 August 2014

Tasmanian brand trashed by logging decision

“The Legislative Council has trashed Tasmania’s brand by backing the government’s move to log our high conservation value forests,” Senator Christine Milne said today.

“Many Tasmanian businesses rely on our clean, green brand – turning the state into an industrial logging playground will trash it.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne says the Liberal Party's push to remove the charitable status of environment groups amounts to an attack on democracy.

"This is an extension of the Abbott government's ideological attack on the environment," said Senator Milne.

"Tax deductibility should apply to all groups that benefit the community and it's not fair for the Liberals to blacklist environmental groups just because they don't like what they stand for.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne has praised the World Heritage Committee decision overnight to uphold Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage boundaries as a victory for common sense.

"This is a great win for the forests, for wildlife and for Tasmania," Senator Milne said.

"It's been clear for decades that these forests are of world heritage value, the only person unable to see it is Tony Abbott.