Media Release 5/12/11
Conservationists Halt Logging Across Victoria
Conservationists are taking action across Victoria today to expose and hold accountable the Baillieu government and Vicforests for the ongoing destruction of threatened species habitats.
Traditional owners and environmentalists descended on the Melbourne Convention Centre on Thursday 17 November for the BHP Billiton AGM. Using proxies, some twenty Aboriginal elders and supporters gained access to the meeting, while others held a protest outside.
At the 21st General Assembly of Occupy Melbourne held tonight a proposal to reaffirm non violent direct action was defeated. Specifically the motion attempted to clear up what was and was not appropriate action taken on behalf of Occupy Melbourne. The non violence advocated was for non violence against persons and property. This non violence policy was quite heavily defeated on the floor of the GA.
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT, Hear the detainees! Better the lives of refugees immediately! There have been multiple detainees on hungerstrikes, insisting on truth and
freedom of information. The indefinite and uninformed detainment of innocent people is unacceptable, harmful and disregarding human rights.
The situation becomes more pressing everyday. Mental health is at risk and detainees are inlficting self-harm to scream out for attention. Three detainees have sown
their lips shut to express their protest! (nov 22, 2011 Herald Sun) There have been multiple suicide attempts.
GECO Media Release Monday 21 November, 2011
Rainforest logging breach:
Protesters on site at Survey Road
This morning conservationists have again halted logging in rainforest on Survey Road in far East Gippsland. Five logging machines have been cabled off to a treesit in the forest canopy.
“As if it wasn’t enough that VicForests had sent their logging contractors into a coupe containing precious old-growth forest; conservationists have now verified that rainforest has been logged on site as well”, said spokesperson Amelia Young.
The Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA) picketed the Qantas office and Australian embassy in a show of solidarity for the embattled workers of the Australian flag carrier. “We extend the hand of solidarity to our brothers and sisters at Qantas who are for fighting for job security, decent pay and better working conditions. The struggles they are waging mirror the same demands that we are currently fighting for at PAL,” declared Gerry Rivera, PALEA president and vice chair of Partido ng Manggagawa.
The Original Nations Tent Embassy at the Treasury Gardens was visited by members of the Victoria Police Force today. According to a message from Occupy Melbourne on Facebook at around 2.20pm, they were told to remove the tent or the police would be back.
Please refer to facebook http://www.facebook.com/occupymelb?sk=wall and twitter #occupymelbourne for updates.
Press release from Occupy Melbourne follows:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Council Continues Campaign of Harassment and Intimidation Against Occupy Melbourne”
GECO Media Release 14/11/11
Tree-sit stops old-growth logging
Conservationists highlighting the ongoing destruction of old-growth forests in East Gippsland have stopped logging on the Errinundra Plateau by attaching a tree-sit to five logging machines.
The tree-sit is suspended 40 metres high in the tree canopy and is held up by interwoven rope that is tied to the equipment.
I was just on the Occupy Melbourne website and to my surprise found I wasn't able to leave a comment there. I found this strange as previously people were able to post comments on occupymelbourne.org. Is this an intentional change, so that people can no longer have a say on that site, or has someone made a mistake somewhere?
James Muldoon who gallantly took the City of Melbourne to court over his right to put up some small tents in a public place so that people could protest has lost his first battle. This is a big disappointment for Occupy Melbourne who were recently served with a notice not to erect tents or bring any "things" - such as trestle tables and signs - into Treasury Gardens. Muldoon had sought an interlocutory injunction against the notice but this was not granted in the Federal Court today.
