Renowned journalist Margo Kingston has this morning locked herself to a monstrous logging machine in the Bulga State Forest.10th October, 2024
Media Release, Thursday October 10, 2024
Renowned journalist Margo Kingston has this morning locked herself to a monstrous logging machine in the Bulga State Forest. Her presence is halting work in the otherwise active logging coup, where harvesting targets native forest that is home to endangered species.
‘I’m taking this action to protect this beautiful and biodiverse forest which is full of koalas and greater gliders. I am way out of my comfort zone here, it is very confronting to lock yourself to a machine like this, but if I wasn’t here, this habitat would be being decimated’.
Ms Kingston, 64, is a member of the community action group Save Bulga Forest, whose members are being pushed to extreme measures after exhausting official avenues for protecting the forest. Twelve people have already been arrested for their peaceful protests to defend Bulga Forest.
The Natural Resources Commission, among others, have recommended a complete rethink of state forestry management because native forests are degrading so fast they will become net emitters of carbon, speed up extinction rates and threaten water quality if current practice continues. In addition, public funds in NSW are being used to subsidise the State Forestry Corporation to undertake its logging activities.
‘The public are losing too much under the status quo of forestry operations – we lose our forests, our iconic species and we are paying for it from the public purse.’
Dr. Hicks, who is a member of the citizen’s group Save Bulga Forest, explains the group’s motivation for advocating for logging to cease: ‘Forests are worth much more to the people of NSW and the world if they are left standing: they sequester carbon, retain water, home animals, and provide a base for tourism activities. The days of logging native forests need to end, and the sooner our state can plan for a timely transition for forest workers, the better.
Margo Kingston is a retired Australian journalist and climate change activist. She is best known for her book ‘Not Happy, John’, her stint as Phillip Adams’ ‘Canberra Babylon’ contributor and her work at The Sydney Morning Herald and #Webdiary. Since 2012, Kingston has been a citizen journalist, reporting and commenting on Australian politics via Twitter and No Fibs.
View Margo’s twitter feed here: https://x.com/margokingston1 and retweet away!
View No Fibs website here