Working with researcher Margaret Blakers and a coalition of 18 other environment groups, we exposed how the state logging agency, VicForests, has been failing to regenerate forests after logging.
The report was launched with a massive ABC exclusive across TV, radio and online, reaching millions of people. Across social media, it was seen nearly 200,000 times. VicForests’ behaviour has now been referred to the Victorian ombudsman and corruption watchdog.
In response, the Victorian government announced $14 million for new environmental measures, including “a new coupe regeneration plan”. While this falls far short of the major overhaul needed to fix the problem, it’s an acknowledgement that the report was correct – regeneration failure is widespread.
Ultimately the Victorian government needs to bring forward the end of logging and abolish VicForests.