7 June: Lismore — Coffs Harbour
Today Matilda is travelling from Lismore, NSW — Coffs Harbour, NSW.
Key messages/issues for today
The Koala is worth $3 billion to the Australian tourism industry
There is no such thing as a Koala-friendly road.
The Pacific Highway upgrade at Ballina has been supported by a document from Roads and Maritime Services NSW claiming the new road will reduce Koala deaths by 20%, and increase Koala births by 20%. Even a donkey knows these figures are nonsense.
Matilda believes in sustainable forestry; unfortunately she just hasn’t seen it yet.
Forestry as practiced in Australia is a dying industry that needs Government handouts to just keep treading water. NSW Forestry has paid $119 million in dividends to the NSW Government in the last decade, but required grants of $136 million to pay for management of the forest estate.
Sadly, now NSW forestry has decided that their obligations to help protect Koalas are too onerous; they no longer want to have to do a survey for Koalas before they knock down the trees.
Which electorate is Matilda visiting today?
Division of Page
AKF estimated Koala population: 900-1200
Estimated Koala habitat left: 63.7%
For more information visit www.savethekoala.com/our-work/page