October 22, 2013 marked the 20th day of a hunger strike to protest against the environmentally destructive Private Native Forestry regime in New South Wales. Mr Selmes has indicated that he plans to remain on a hunger strike outside Parliament House until the NSW Parliament includes the endangered gang-gang cockatoo in its Code of Practice for Private Native Forests.

Mr Selmes has mounted a public protest outside Parliament House every single sitting day of the year.

Greens MP and Forestry Spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

“Mark Selmes’ commitment to raising awareness about the plight of endangered and threatened native Australian species is extraordinary and his unique and outstanding dedication to environmental advocacy must be commended.

“His campaign to raise awareness about the impact of unregulated private native forestry operations in New South Wales is essential if our native flora and fauna are to be protected.

“The private native forestry industry causes irreversible damage to our native forests because the law allows precious forests that are owned privately to be turned over to loggers without requiring a single survey that might identify endangered plants and animals.

“Even more alarmingly, commercial operators are free to buy the rights to log precious native forests, cut them down, and then sell the timber to be burnt as firewood.

“The NSW Government needs to act to close the gaping holes in the law that allows endangered ecological communities of plants and animals to be destroyed for firewood.

“Mark Selmes’ efforts have earned the support of the community. He deserved recognition from the Parliament for drawing attention to the flaws in Private Native Forestry laws, and their disastrous impact on the species like the beautiful gang-gang cockatoo,” Mr Shoebridge said.

A full copy of the Motion that was placed on the Business Paper last Thursday is below.

While the Motion was not adopted today, it is anticipated that debate on it will occur in November.

1553. Mr Shoebridge to move that this House commends the outstanding environmental activism of Mark Selmes:

(a) whose commitment to raising awareness of the plight of endangered and threatened native Australian flora and fauna is long-standing and exemplary,

(b) who, on 17 October 2013, marked the 15th day of a hunger strike to protest against the environmentally destructive private native forestry regime in New South Wales, and

(c) who continues to raise the serious threat that effectively unregulated private native forestry operations in and around Mount Rae forest are having on the endangered Gang-Gang Cockatoo.