After the two met into each other at a restaurant, Australia’s environment minister gave former Greens Party leader Bob Brown the cold shoulder.
Labor’s Tanya Plibersek toured Tasmania last week to “examine the environmental impact on this rare region of Australia, comprehend the cultural and heritage significance, and hear the local community’s perspective.”
Friday, Mr. Brown took to Twitter to share a photo of himself at a café in Tullah, two hours west of Launceston, and to complain that Ms. Plibersek had ignored him.
The Bob Brown Foundation tweeted, “Last night, Australia’s Environment Minister Plibersek dined with senior mining executives, not Bob Brown and environmentalists, two tables away.”
Today, the Minister declined Bob’s invitation to visit the jungle. An absolute low point in the environmental history of Australia.
According to Tasmania’s Department of State Growth, the pristine Takyna/Tarkine region of northwestern Tasmania is home to the greatest amount of cool temperate rainforest in Australia as well as numerous Aboriginal heritage sites.
However, the region is also mineral-rich and one of Tasmania’s most “critically” vital locations for the mining and forestry sectors, which generate billions of dollars in revenue.
Mr. Brown is a longtime Tasmanian resident, and his Bob Brown Foundation promotes environmental awareness by, among other things, advocating for the Tarkine to be designated a World Heritage Site, which would prohibit mining.
As part of her two-day trip of the Tarkine, Ms. Plibersek spoke with employees of a zinc and copper mine that has been operating in the region for over 85 years.
The mine is seeking approval from the federal government for a new dam. I take these choices very seriously.
The Chinese-owned Rosebery heavy metals mine MMG is requesting permission for a 285-hectare tailings dam.
The Bob Brown Foundation claimed in court in July of this year that former environment minister Sussan Ley’s decision to allow work to begin at the site was not authorized by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.
The Federal Court found in his favor because Ms. Ley failed to account for the fact that the region is the rare masked owl’s habitat in Tasmania.
Ms. Plibersek stated on Friday that she is weighing her options carefully.
As required by law, I will carefully analyze everything I’ve seen and heard before making a conclusion. She stated, “For the time being, I must be cautious about what I say publicly, as any implication that I have prejudged a decision could be contested in court.”