Mood:
energeticTopic: globalWarming
As indicated in recent posts on this micro news blog, a logger industry conference has been hosted by the federal government in the form of a QANGO called Forest Works in Canberra.
Here is their self referential back slap at taxpayer funded expense:
And notice this image from John Howard's time as Prime Minister in the newsletter of the Australian conservatives funding the redneck loggers and unionists in the native forest woodchip sector:
We can report that the industry conference received some special attention from ecological activists earlier this week. It started with ALP national executive member Michael OConnor, chief of the Forestry Union within CFMEU, choking on his morning coffee at a Manuka Bakery Cafe to see this writer's laptop with anti woodchip graphic.
(And note the C namely Construction Union in CFMEU announced disaffiliation from the ALP according PM Rudd in question time.)
The 'conversation' went something like this 7.15 am:
SAM editor - Ain't democracy grand? This is definitely a workers cafe. Swiss neutrality in the bakery cafe, eh?
O'Connor - bleary eyed, blinking silence, then nervous uncomfortable laugh.
Picture: Michael O'Connor, ALP national executive member and logger unionist and apologist for forest woodchipping, leaving Manuka cafe in Canberra 24 Nov. 2009.
Later that morning we attended the Hyatt Hotel with Forest Climate Mobile Billboard display where the industry conference was based. The giant sign was funded and organised by ChipStop based in Bega of which this writer is a supporter since foundation, and South East Region Conservation Alliance.
At the Hyatt we met up with regional, Canberra and Sydney environmentalists, some peak groups, some grassroots. In particular Winiata Puru attended as custodian of the long running Aboriginal Tent Embassy in front of Old Parliament House. At the time we were in Parliament House watching question time so here is a picture of Winiata in 2006:
Puru is a gifted singer and a veteran of the successful blockade saving habitat of three rare owl species (Sooty, Masked, Barking Owls) at Croobyar State Forest in November 1994 leveraging sensitive pre election politics. He is also a legend in Canberra with real clout in social networks.
It is with his permission we carried the Aboriginal Flag in Canberra at the rally and on our vehicle as here on busy Belconnen Way:
Some images are on recent posts on SAM and here is another by Lorraine Bower first above, and one following:
Local WIN TV attended and ran a story on the nightly news.
Later that night we returned to Parliament House to display the mobile billboard and forest-to-woodchip-to-energy smoke stack display given this egregious proposal back for the NSW South Coast forests. This was also the location of the formal conference dinner in the main hall of Parliament. Noel Plumb all suited up of Sydney affinity group ChipBusters, feisty Michelle Slater of the Dandenongs, Mal Fisher of Sydney office of The Wilderness Society in charcoal suit and lithe activist Frederica in glamour frock infiltrated the $300 a head dinner.
Plumb then regaled the dinner attended by 30 federal MPs for fully 12 minutes at first with the microphone on the main platform and then with his own lungs when this was turned off, House rules!
Here he is being escorted off the New House forecourt in high spirits:
And the climate criminals at the dinner? A list might start like this (?) off the dinner brochure circulated, balanced by another unauthorised brochure:
The following brochure front and back was circulated to every table at the dinner. Way to go Michelle!
sharp
chatty
a-ok
special
happy
amorous
crushed out
