*MEDIA RELEASE*

23 August 2007

Weld Valley Logging Slugs Taxpayers

Giant bill highlights taxpayer funding of new logging roads

Forest Activists will today hand Forestry Tasmania a giant bill, on behalf of Australian taxpayers, for nearly half a million dollars spent on logging roads in the threatened Lower Weld Valley.

The Huon Valley Environment Centre has condemned the use of taxpayer's funds for three brutal new logging roads constructed in the threatened Lower Weld Valley since the destruction of the Camp Weld blockade in November 2006.

A State Government response to a question from Greens MHA Tim Morris reveals that over $400,000 of taxpayer's money, from the so-called "Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement" has been spent building new roads into stands of pristine wilderness forest in the last six months.

"Activists have gathered at Forestry Tasmania headquarters in Hobart today calling for the company to stop wasting taxpayer's money and to provide compensation to Australians who bear the cost of destructive logging practices," said Huon Valley Environment Centre spokesperson Will Mooney.

"The Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement was promoted as a way to get out of old growth logging, but now we see that taxpayer's funds allocated under the agreement have been used to bulldoze new roads and prop up old growth logging that cannot pay for itself," Will Mooney said.

"Not only do taxpayers bear the costs of carbon emissions, pollution and degraded water catchment, now they are asked to fork out to pay for new logging roads," Will Mooney said.

Activists will gather at Forestry Tasmania headquarters in Mellville street Hobart from 7.30 today.