Greentree

11/30/2024

So this bloke, ironically surnamed Greentree, owns the 50,000ha Boolcarrol Station near Narrabri, NSW. It’s worth say north of $350m.

Sometime back he cleared 1,000ha (2% of his land) to make way for an airfield, cattle yards, grain silos, etc. All the stuff needed to run the property as the business that it is.

Now he’s been fined $1m for unlawful land clearing because…

“The court had heard evidence that nine threatened species were “highly likely” to have been present prior to clearing – including the pale-headed snake, south-eastern glossy black-cockatoo, spotted harrier, brown treecreeper, painted honeyeater, grey-crowned babbler, hooded robin, diamond firetail and yellow-bellied sheathtail-bat.

There was further evidence that 17 threatened species were “moderately likely” to have been present prior to the clearing, including the stripe-faced dunnart, koala, little pied bat and barking owl.”

Greentree failed to demonstrate any remorse in court and was heavily penalised accordingly.

This is the courts telling us how we have to think, no? I wasn’t aware that we were obliged to agree with all the laws.

They can tell you what you can and can’t do (usually it’s can’t do). And by proxy this is moderately likely evidence that they are also telling us what we can and can’t think.

I’m against.