Lock on – environmental blockades in Australia

Welcome to the Paradigm Shift on FM 102.1 4ZZZ Fridays at noon. We challenge the assumptions of our current society, to resist oppression … January 15, 2021

This week we hear from the environmental frontlines around the country. We speak to Miranda Gibson about Olney State Forest in New South Wales, Erik Hayward about protecting Tasmania’s ancient forests, and Leon Pateman about locking on to Adani’s bulldozers in central Queensland – all people putting themselves in the way of the machines destroying our planet.

Miranda Gibson is from Forrest defenders (New South Wales) talks about how, late 2020, loggers and machines went into the Olney state forest to begin cutting down native forest. In response Forest Defenders set up camp and began blockading the logging.  She is trying to build a community support especially given the large impact that the bushfires had in 2020 where many animals and trees have been rescued. A blockade camp is a last resort it is a frontline action designed to slow down the companies attempting to log our native forests.

Eric Heywood from the Bob Brown foundation has been attempting to prevent the logging of native rainforest in the Tarkine in the North West and also in the Southwest.

https://soundcloud.com/ian-curr/lock-on

Leon Pateman spent 10 hours locked-on to a large machine preventing a contractor (BMD) hello from building the road for the Adani mine in central Queensland. He went to court received a phone of $1000 with no conviction. Queensland Premier, Anastasia Palaschuk, claims the mundane pipe he used is a dangerous attachment device. The Labour party has passed laws that can result in imprisonment.

Ian and Andy discuss whether the blockade of the Adani mine will be successful.

Playlist
Paul Spencer – Make some music
iNsuRge – Lock on
Conation – Slow motion catastrophes
Zelda Da – Never gonna build that mine