David Leigh
Tasmania is known worldwide for its clean, green and pristine environment. It is a place where discerning and environmentally savvy tourists visit. The largest tract of temperate rainforest in the southern hemisphere and the last known wilderness areas exist, alongside some of the finest wines, cheeses and produce anywhere on earth. Unfortunately, the big end of town moved in and using money from ill informed investors and taxpayer funded schemes, destruction those forests took place on a massive scale. The poisoning, shooting and habitat removal of unique and endangered species of wildlife was secondary only to the clear felling of wild forests and subsequent conversion to monoculture plantations. The irony is that the Australian Federal Government was paying to prevent similar destruction taking place in Indonesia and Malaysia, whilst funding the destruction in Tasmania. This is the people's story of courage and determination in the face of a huge corporation that had an unhealthy relationship with a state government organisation. It tells of the suffering of individuals from chemical invasion, the poisoning of drinking water and death on the roads from overloaded log trucks. It shows how thinking people united to overturn the regime and restore Tasmania to peace and harmony once again. 3
