Senator Janet Rice, Australian Greens, Media Release, 8 September 2021

Australian Greens forests spokesperson, Senator Janet Rice, has welcomed today’s announcement that Western Australia will end all native forest logging by 2024, and called on the Commonwealth and other state governments to follow suit and end the destruction of Australia’s forests. 

Senator Rice said:

“This decision will be applauded by the vast majority of Australians who know how important protecting our forests are for threatened species, warding against bushfires, and fighting the climate crisis. 

“The federal government, and all other state governments, must follow WA’s lead and end the forest destruction and environmental vandalism that has been allowed to continue for far too long. 

“I want to thank the WA Forest Alliance, the WA Greens and other community groups for their tireless campaigning for Western Australia’s beautiful forests. Without their decades of work, Western Australia would not be the first state to stop logging of our native forests.

“While we welcome this announcement, if Mark McGowan is as serious about fighting climate change as he claims, WA shouldn’t carve out special exemptions for big mining corporations. This is why we need strong federal leadership to ensure all the threats facing Australia’s native forests and our climate are addressed.”