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Bootcamp for forestry activists

The Tasmanian Opposition is angry about a plan by conservationists to hold a training camp for anti-forestry protesters. Source: 7 News, Timberbiz

Activists are holding training in Tasmania as part of a national campaign dubbed Fearless Summer.

It will teach participants about direct action protesting and campaigning. After the camp, the group plans to hold two weeks of protests in Tasmanian forests.

“Any visa-holding protester who breaks the law runs the risk of having their visa cancelled and being asked to leave the country and possibly being blacklisted from returning,” Richard Colbeck Senator for Tasmania and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture said.

“Visa holders are a guest in our country and are expected to obey the law. Those who come with the deliberate intention to break the law are not welcome.”
Senator Colbeck warned protesters holding Australian visas that if they are arrested he will refer them to the Immigration and Boarder Protection Minister and request their visas be reviewed.

Liberals’ spokesman Peter Gutwein said there is no place for this type of training camp in Tasmania.

He says it makes a mockery of the forestry peace deal and proves it has failed.

“We’ve said all along that this deal wouldn’t deliver peace,” he said.

“That’s been proven and here we have Tasmania being used as a training ground for this sort of disgraceful behaviour that ultimately will cost Tasmanians jobs.”

Gutwein said a Liberal Government will not tolerate protests which disrupt forestry operations.

“The policy platform that we’ve already announced sends a very clear message that, in Government, we will come down very hard on this sort of illegal protest behaviour.”

Tasmanian Greens leader Nick McKim said people have a right to express their views through protests.

“In a democracy people are going to have different views about things and people should be entitled to express those views … and I’ll defend people’s right to express a view whether I agree with that view or not,” he said.

McKim said the Tasmanian Forest Agreement is supported by a large section of the environment movement.

“Without doubt there is now a significant decrease in temperature around the forest debate in Tasmania and we have the overwhelming majority of the environment movement in this state backing in the TFA, as we have the overwhelming majority of the timber industry and the overwhelming majority of the union movement in Tasmania, as well as a majority in both houses of the Tasmanian parliament.

“So this is a chance for Tasmania to move forward, but I accept it is all under threat as we move to an election because the Liberal Party have a policy of plunging Tasmania back into those dark days of conflict and division that most people in our community had hoped that we moved past.”