Perpetual Protest

Student environment groups held a creative protest today (Monday 17th August) outside Perpetual Trustee's Sydney office to pressure the financial institution to stop funding the destruction of Tasmania's old-growth forests.

Twenty students gathered outside the corporate office and dumped a pile of woodchips. A sign on top let the world know that this is what Perpetual was investing in. Leaflets were handed out, slogans were chalked on the pavement and for an hour the corporate centre of Sydney was transformed by drumming, ukulele playing and singing. Although police inevitably came, the only incident occurred when a Perpetual employee took a banner from the protestors. After a tug-of- war, it was locked away in the office, an innocent hostage in the battle for the forests.

For only the second time in corporate history, shareholders have pressured a corporation to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to answer environmental concerns. Perpetual is a 10% shareholder of Gunns Limited, the largest woodchipper in Australia and the biggest exporter of hardwood woodchips in the world.

"The greatest threat to Tasmania's environment is its voracious logging industry," stated Sydney University SRC Environment Officer Anna Rose. "Last year Gunns exported over 4 million tonnes of woodchip from Tasmania, with a significant amount sourced from old-growth forests".

Students from the University of Sydney, University of Technology and University of NSW made their demands clear, calling on Gunns' shareholders (which include Perpetual, the Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank and Westpac) to vote in favour of protecting Tasmania's oldgrowth forests at Gunns' upcoming Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).

A resolution drafted by The Wilderness Society will be proposed at the upcoming EGM, held on August 29 in Launceston. It calls on Gunns not to source any timber from the Tasmania Together forests. These forests include the Styx, Tarkine, Great Western Tiers, Southern Forests, Tasman Peninsula, North-East Highlands, and Eastern Tiers.

"We are informing Perpetual customers that their institution has the power to demand Gunns Ltd cease destroying Tasmania's oldgrowth forests," stated Sydney University SRC Councillor Steve Dziedzic. "It is unnacceptable for Gunns to continue logging high conservation-value forests whilst ignoring community opposition throughout Australia"

The campaign to save Tassie's forests will continue.