Prime greater glider habitat going, going, gone @$80/ cu m

$80/cu m – that’ll be roughly the value of timber from Barjarg Flat coupe, once the trees have been converted to firewood. Vicforests is at pains to convince everyone that only the rubbish leftover from their logged coupes is used for firewood, but one look at the yard that sources firewood from local forests, puts paid to that fiction. These images show that Vicforests is plundering local forests for a quick buck and the lowest quality forest product – firewood! Firewood is not a by-product of local logging – it appears to be driving the whole enterprise!

The sign on the gate gives some indication of the values driving this business.

Firewood is certainly a useful commodity, but can Environment Minister d’Ambrosio honestly sit on her hands while some of the best Greater Glider habitat in Victoria might be turned into firewood by Vicforests? Perhaps these photos of the local firewood yard just outside Mansfield will help convince her that the process that is meant to protect threatened species, also allows their habitat to be logged for firewood – the system is broken!

Read the Our Strathbogie Forest News story - “Prime greater glider habitat going, going, gone @$80/ cu m.”

Welcome to politics' new three-letter-word: the NEG

It's only a suggestion. But … if you're trying to convince the voting public that your new energy and climate policy has not in any way been dictated by a string-pulling Tony Abbott – prince of partisan brawling, the wrecker-in-chief, the original Dr No – maybe don't call it NEG.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced his shiny
new energy and climate policy before the media on Tuesday

The national energy guarantee, which will replace the orphaned and unloved clean energy target, will force energy companies to meet standards mandating reliability and emissions reduction, making it the Rorschach blot of energy policy: you can read into it whatever you like!

You might just have to squint pretty hard.

The Prime Minister announced the NEG on Facebook with a video in which he speaks directly to voters. He looks nice. He's wearing a blue suit, not his Q&A leather jacket – read into that what you will.

Read Jacqueline Malley’s story in today’s Melbourne Age - “Welcome to politics' new three-letter-word: the NEG.”