After a month of protest logging was halted in聽Newry State Forest, west of Valla between Urunga and Macksville on August 22. Six machines departed on August 25 in what Gumbaynggirr custodian Sandy Greenwood described as a 鈥渉istoric moment鈥.
A NSW Land and Environment Court hearing the same day gave further heart to the First Nations people defending their culture.
, who has been active in protesting against logging in Newry, said: 鈥淲e are relieved to have our first win in court this morning 鈥斅燼 temporary reprieve from the destruction of our sacred homelands.鈥
NSW Forestry Corporation has locked up the forest since late July, with NSW Police guarding the logging operations. Meanwhile, koala habitat is being destroyed and First Nations elders have been violently arrested and locked up for attempting to practice ceremony on Country.
said: 鈥淚t is unbelievable that now First Nations Elders are having to take the government to court to stop them destroying their country and living culture in the face of a broken election promise.鈥
Greenwood said: 鈥淥ur grassroots community resistance has worked and we will continue to fight until all Gumbaynggirr lands are protected from Forestry鈥檚 operations.
Meanwhile, on August 24 protesters in Martin Place in the CBD聽called on NSW Labor to immediately end logging in the Great Koala National Park. They chanted聽鈥淪hame on Labor! What do we want? Save our forests! Save our koalas!鈥
Dailan Pugh from the North East Forest Alliance told the protest that the聽logging of key koala areas is a 鈥渃ompletely irresponsible action by a government authority鈥.
鈥淲e want Labor to implement its promise to protect koalas.鈥
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