The Bob Brown Foundation's legal challenge to test the validity of the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement and attempt to end logging in Tasmania's native forests has failed.
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In a judgement released today, the full court of the Federal Court found that Tasmania's RFA is valid, rejecting the two legal arguments put forward by the Bob Brown Foundation.
In a clear message to environmentalists Primary Industries minister Guy Barnett demanded that the Bob Brown Foundation stop all illegal protest activity in Tasmania's forests and respect the decision of the Federal Court.
"We won. The forest industry has won. The workers of Tasmania have won. The Bob Brown Foundation has lost," he said.
"I'm now asking the Bob Brown Foundation to respect the umpires decision to stop the green warfare and the green lawfare. Enough is enough. Tasmanians want their right to work, the forest industry wants their right to work free from intrusion and free from unfair and illegal protest activity."
Mr Barnett would not be drawn on the fate of the swift parrot, adding that protections existed.
The Foundation's leader Bob Brown admitted defeat but said that the fight to end native logging in Tasmania would continue.
"We have not won this case but it doesn't alter our campaign to save native forests one iota. In fact it will embolden us," Dr Brown said.
"I feel doubly resolved to have our Foundation and thousands of supporters we have in Tasmania and beyond, taking on the derelict remnants of the native forest logging industry in Tasmania."
The Federal Court's judgement means that the BFF's injunction to halt logging in 19 coupes in Tasmania also ends today.
Dr Brown said protesters were already on their way into the Tarkine to resume protest activity and attempt to halt the felling of trees.
"As of 11 o'clock today, those injunctions no longer pertain and so, the Tasmanian government and the logging industry can go back out there and start logging the trees in which swift parrots are nesting and feeding as they head to extinction," he said.
"We are on the side of the swift parrots, not the chainsaws. It is simple as that."
Dr Brown, while disappointed, said that he had been in "worse situations than this", referring to the Franklin River Dam controversy in the 1970s.
"We fought and the Franklin runs free to the sea, and Tasmania's forests will be free of chainsaws before too long because that is what the people of Tasmania and the people of Australia want.
"This is a setback for us, but it wasn't going to solve the issue of native logging. It would not have meant it would of stop tomorrow, it was going to be a series of injunctive actions to follow up.
"This is a speed bump, but we are moving right ahead."
Sustainable Timber Tasmania's chair Rob De Fegely said the decision allowed it to continue to sustainably manage forests and supply timber to its customers whilst providing protection to threatened species.
"We regard this as a strong vindication of Sustainable Timber Tasmania's confidence of the Regional Forest Agreement, and Tasmania's world class Forest Practices System."
Greens leader Cassie O'Connor said the decision did not give Forestry Tasmania or the Liberals a pass.
"Science is science. Habitat destruction caused by logging has reduced the Swift parrot to an estimated 300 individual birds. Any government that genuinely wanted to protect threatened species, or be taken seriously on climate, would already be working to end native forest logging."