The Office of Environment and Heritage confirmed it received a complaint and is investigating.

SEFR also released statements about the contractor receiving an exit payment in Tasmania relating to timber product company Gunns ending native forest logging.

Logging company speaks out about dangerous and costly protest

The following is a response from Michelle Barker of logging contractor Kasun Logging:

ON Thursday (April 28), the company supervisor and employee's arrived at the job at 5.45am to be greeted by the activists who were warming themselves by a fire they had going in the middle of the road inside the coupe area.

The Supervisor contacted Forests NSW who in turn contacted the local police, the supervisor reversed up the road to one of the Company harvesting machines which was about 120 metres away, he started the machine as he had some maintenance to carry out.

Once he had started the machine the activists ran up the road and leaned up against the machine so it could not be moved.

He and the other employee's continued with their maintenance while Lisa Stone and company harassed them and prevented them from their duties of harvesting timber, they had also put a tree sit in place which was secured to other harvesting equipment with their ropes, as these ropes can only be removed by Police Rescue, who can only be dispatched once the local police have attended the scene and requested their help.

There was no possibility of harvesting for the day, so the supervisor and employees were sent home, once they had measured some logs from the previous days harvesting.

The company supervisor was notified later that afternoon by Forests NSW to return to the coupe to start the machines to lower the ropes so police rescue could remove them.

Once this was completed the supervisor had to stay at the job to load log trucks with the previous afternoons harvesting, which they were unable to cart off the operation for the entire day because of the activists actions.

Thousands of dollars were lost by the Company as no timber was produced that day, the employees have lost wages, it has affected the cartage contractor, the local mills and SEFE who naturally are the intended target.

They also removed a security camera from the job which has photos most likely of themselves and our employee's, cartage contractor and many other people associated with the job, this was also reported the local police.

Once again their actions have been costly for many and dangerous, their ignorance of the law and safety protocols is an accident waiting to happen as they continually put themselves and their children in the path of large, dangerous harvesting equipment that is meant for the removal of tree's, not contending with people, unfortunately the activists are pushing the limits with their protests and it will only be time before one of their dangerous stunts prove fatal, the bush is a dangerous enough place without the silly antics these people pull.

As for the report of the company receiving an exit package from the Tasmanian Native Forests, this is true but it has nothing to do with the job that is here in NSW.

The machinery working for FNSW was originally based in Tasmanian contracted to Forest Enterprises Australia to harvest its plantation timber, unfortunately FEA went into administration on April 7, 2010 and the job ceased immediately, as there was no other work in Tassie and $2 million dollars of gear to repay it was clearly obvious that worked needed to be sourced interstate to survive.

Fortunately in early May after holding talks with FNSW a contract was secured and the machines, work vehicles, tools and employee's relocated to NSW, this relocation was somewhere in the vicinity of $70,000.00, keep in mind the company was not paid by FEA for the harvesting undertaken in March and April 2010, around $160,000.00 and this money will never be recouped, we have been advised that we may get around 2 cents in the dollar, but I would not hold my breath.

The company honored all of its debts caused by the collapse of FEA by selling private assets, investment properties purchased for superannuation, these assets were sold at a reduced costs to pay any debts caused by FEA and pay to relocate the machines, utes, tools, men etc.

The exit package the company received was for its native harvesting contract with Gunns Limited, the package was announced last November, the company had their accountant complete and submit the application with all of the evidence they required such as, proof of current contract and volumes, proof of debt on harvesting machinery, proof from the accountant that the debts were solely incurred from the Gunns contract and had no connection with the FEA Contract, we anticipated there would be problems down the track, so all precautions and measures were taken to verify all the details so in the event of backlash from Greens Groups, the claim we made in black and white were in accordance with the criteria and had all the required evidence to back it up.

I wish there had of been an exit package for that job and the company probably would not be in the position it is in, it’s not easy to lose nearly everything you have worked all your life for and have to up and leave your family and friends just so you can survive.

The first payment was received in Feb 2011, this was used to clear up arrears on machinery loans and a massive overdraft that was required to keep the job operating, unfortunately there was no option to stop, stop and you lose everything, with a contract not worth peanuts and specialized harvesting equipment that can’t be sold all you can do is keep going in the hope that the downturn may change, but the damage from greens groups was done and unfortunately our fate and many others was sealed.

It may have been a victory for them but the true face of their so called win was many hardworking 2nd and 3rd generation loggers losing their homes, retirement and future, families have been devastated and small towns ruined, not such a great victory when you witness the human carnage.

Now back to the payout figures, the second and final payment should be paid around the end of June 2011, once we have submitted our application with verified proof that we have ceased our Gunns job in Tasmania ( done on the 17th Dec 2010), paid our employee's their entitlements ( done on the 30th Dec 2010) and proof that the machines are not operating in the Tasmanian Industry, which obviously they are not, this has all been collected and documented by our accountant who will verify the documentation and submit the application.

By the way the machines are all for sale if you know anyone looking for a bit of gear, unfortunately we owed well over a million dollars for the gear, with the payout being $825,000 ( this includes $75,000 of GST) which naturally goes back to the ATO, this brings us back to $750,000, less an estimated tax bill ( by the accountant of $150,000, this gets us back to $600,000, if we take this figure off the $1 million plus owing on the machinery and overdraft.

You can clearly see we are still in debt, to finalize this debt we need to sell our remaining asset which is our home back in Tassie, so if you know anyone cashed up who is looking for a place in Tassie, please tell them to call me.

The greens would like the public to think we are corrupt, greedy and liars, they like to paint a picture that is so far from the truth it makes we feel sick to the stomach.

Clearly any diversion of the truth helps take the attention away from the deluded, non-working, anti-social, drug-hazed life they chose to live, it is unfortunate that their decision to avoid working and contributing to society and blatantly ignoring the law has to affect the rest of us the way it does, I wonder how they would like it if the situation was reversed and they lost nearly everything through no fault of their own and had to start again.

I also wonder what their children do when they are protesting, that is when they are not running around the coupes with no protective clothing and not much parental supervision with large dangerous machines about.