R.C. AndersonAMCOR and the Greens
October 3rd 2006 02:31
In the Greens we talk about "Tampa Events". When Kim Beasley supported John Howard's stance on refugees in Australia, highlighted by preventing container ship The Tampa from making harbour in Australia because they had rescued refugees from their sinking ship, the membership of the Greens tripled as people turned to the only party who were standing up for the human rights of refugees.
Last night the Victorian Greens may have seen another Tampa Event with ABC's Four Corners doing a story on AMCOR, Australia's largest paper manufacturer, and their "A-Team". The job of the A-Team was to infiltrate environmental groups and attack their campaigns to protect old growth forests in Eastern Victoria. These included, stealing documents like pay slips, policy overviews and membership details.
The most disturbing fact though, was that AMCOR staff became members of the Australian Labor Party and got themselves elected to the Victorian ALP's Forests policy working group. These employees, under the direction of AMCOR's management, dominated the working group and destroyed the original intention of the working group, which was to put a halt to the logging of old growth forests. This is the missing link in a campaign that groups like The Wilderness Society, Environment Victoria and The Greens have been trying to work out for a while: If plantation timber is now at a stage where it can replace old growth logging, why is old growth logging still receiving government subsidies?
The answer: AMCOR, Australia's largest paper manufacturer, which has it's biggest plant in Gippsland near these forests, is writing the ALP's Forest Policy for them!
Steve Bracks better batten down the hatches, because 53 days before the State Election, there's a bunch of environmentalists out there who are bloody angry!
Last night the Victorian Greens may have seen another Tampa Event with ABC's Four Corners doing a story on AMCOR, Australia's largest paper manufacturer, and their "A-Team". The job of the A-Team was to infiltrate environmental groups and attack their campaigns to protect old growth forests in Eastern Victoria. These included, stealing documents like pay slips, policy overviews and membership details.
The most disturbing fact though, was that AMCOR staff became members of the Australian Labor Party and got themselves elected to the Victorian ALP's Forests policy working group. These employees, under the direction of AMCOR's management, dominated the working group and destroyed the original intention of the working group, which was to put a halt to the logging of old growth forests. This is the missing link in a campaign that groups like The Wilderness Society, Environment Victoria and The Greens have been trying to work out for a while: If plantation timber is now at a stage where it can replace old growth logging, why is old growth logging still receiving government subsidies?
The answer: AMCOR, Australia's largest paper manufacturer, which has it's biggest plant in Gippsland near these forests, is writing the ALP's Forest Policy for them!
Steve Bracks better batten down the hatches, because 53 days before the State Election, there's a bunch of environmentalists out there who are bloody angry!
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