Bob Brown

“A lot of nonsense is peddled about balance of power. Top of the list is the idea that members of the cross bench can sail comfortably through the next period of minority government without a formal agreement with Labor or the Coalition.”

“Donald Trump is not one of a kind. Along with Vladimir Putin, Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping, he is just the latest in a long line of ruthless egotists who have risen to power. To varying degrees, the world’s four most powerful men lack empathy. …”

ANALYSIS: When Anthony Albanese visited Tassal’s salmon farms in the south of Tasmania, he gave his tacit approval to corporate environmental vandals.

“Albanese’s choice is between the call of the parrot and the scream of the chainsaw: the rescue of the honey-eating swift parrots from extinction or the ongoing, needless destruction of their forest habitat.”

Analysis: Anthony Albanese is taking a big electoral risk by continuing Howard-era native forest logging agreements.

“Tanya Plibersek is well placed to be one of Australia’s best ministers for the Environment, but she has to stand up to powerful rivals in cabinet who are so far pushing the agenda in favour of fossil fuels and environmental destruction.”

“Bob Hawke’s first act as prime minister in 1983 was to save the Franklin River in Tasmania. In 1987, he over-rode Queensland’s bull-headed premier, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, to save the Daintree wet tropics. These rainforests faced death by a thousand …”

“The prime minister’s post-Covid-19 plan is to roar ahead with a slate of mega-projects that would be delayed by any proper consideration of their environmental and Indigenous heritage impacts. While the EPBC Act rarely leads to any project being given …”

“The Australian moved in for the kill last week. Back-to-back front pages, on Monday and Tuesday, after I sounded the alarm about the impact on endangered birds if the Robbins Island wind farm in Tasmania’s north-west goes ahead. Backed up by …”

“I am 74 and acutely aware that our planet is hotter than when I was a boy, due to the burning of fossil fuels. Storms, droughts and bushfires are all the worse, as predicted 30 years ago. Yet the rate of burning of fossil fuels is still growing in 2019, …”

“Turnbull effectively signed the death warrant on forests in a whole brace of reserves. He also endorsed logging of 159 forest coupes already listed by Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman for clear-felling in other Tarkine forests, including in the headquarters …”

“Where the bounds of acceptable civil disobedience in a democracy lie is a debate that will be with us so long as times change and society transforms. Implying, as The Australian does, that civil disobedience against bad laws has no place at all …”

A High Court challenge to Tasmania’s controversial anti-protester laws follows their use to arrest conservationists in the Lapoinya forest.