27.07.2011

Crane protest over timber in Sydney

Six Greenpeace activists have been arrested after climbing a crane at an inner Sydney, Australia construction site the group says is using illegal timber. The activists scaled the crane at the Central Park development on Broadway this morning unfurling a banner saying "Stop illegal timber".

Police arrested the protesters more than an hour later and took them to a local police station but they have not been charged yet.
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Six Greenpeace activists were arrested after scaling a crane and unfurling a banner.

Greenpeace claims the development is using plywood from an Australian wholesaler linked to illegal logging in Sarawak rainforests in Malaysian Borneo.
"There are hundreds of millions of dollars worth of illegally logged timber products coming into Australia,” said Greenpeace spokesman Reece Turner.
"We're urging the (Federal) Government to bring in long overdue laws to stop this trade."
Greenpeace says it has been told by both the developer and wholesaler that they have documents showing the wood is certified legal, but they are yet to produce them.

The developer, Frasers Property, says it is committed to a high environmental standard and has asked the builder to thoroughly audit all timber used on the site.