Given the bitterness now dividing the Tasmanian community over its governments ruthless suppression of any opposition to the monopoly wood-chip company, it seems unbelievable that Australia’s environment minister has done exactly what the Tasmanian Labor government is routinely arresting forest activists for.

Back in 1993 Peter Garrett and Midnight Oil played at an illegal anti-clear felling blockade on Vancouver Island, at a place called ‘The Black Hole Peace Camp’. The issue, protesting clear felling in the Clayoquot Sound region.

Peter Garrett a lawyer, knew exactly what he was doing when he spoke to the crowd at Kennedy Lake Bridge, the main blockade site. This was where 856 people were arrested that summer, the largest mass arrests and mass trials in Canadian history. Unbelievably for Tasmanians, Garrett and Midnight Oil played the song ‘Truganini’ on that day. Another of the ‘Oils’ songs played was ‘Warakana’ available for download on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DldgIiF9UhI&feature=related

If anything the stakes are so much higher today than in 1993. Climate change and atmospheric carbon are now huge global issues, Australia has the highest extinction rate of mammals in the world, due mainly to land clearing. Add the perceived corruption of the Labor Lennon government and a community divided along ‘redneck’ and ‘greenie’ lines,  just like it was on Vancouver Island, and we have history repeating.

Ironically Peter Garret has been credited with turning that campaign around by drawing international attention to the region. Sadly Tasmania has had no such luck. The Lennon Labor government and its wood-chip partner seem certain to clear-fell all the remaining eucalypt forest on the island and then start on the World Heritage ‘corner’.

Garrett has said he would play again with Midnight Oil and a concert on the Longreach pulp mill site, behind the barbed wire and no trespass signs would be an ideal location. One of the ‘Oils’ songs that Garrett sang that day was ‘Sell My Soul’.

If Garrett remains complicit in the gutting of Tasmania he should at least answer this question, ‘How much did you get for your soul Peter Garrett?’.

We know he’s still collecting royalties for saving trees while he’s getting paid for land clearing, but it’s time for Garrett to ‘give it back’.

http://commonground.ca/iss/0308145/clayoquot.shtml
http://people.tribe.net/johnnydrum/blog/256874fa-cc9a-476a-815f-7ac329d430cf

Karl

Garrett has said he would play again with Midnight Oil and a concert on the Longreach pulp mill site, behind the barbed wire and no trespass signs would be an ideal location. One of the ‘Oils’ songs that Garrett sang that day was ‘Sell My Soul’.  If Garrett remains complicit in the gutting of Tasmania he should at least answer this question, ‘How much did you get for your soul Peter Garrett?’.