Latest News

Logging to end by 2024! What's next I wonder...

May 25, 2023

Huge news. The Premier announced today that native forest logging will cease in Victoria by Jan 1st 2024! This is a win for the beautiful movement which has showed up for forests for decades! Every single person that came to blockades, lobbied your MP,...

Mass survey action planned to contest anti-protest laws

May 12, 2023

On Saturday May 20th, the day Victoria's anti-protest laws come into effect, a mass survey action has been planned to protect forests, and the right to protest. Sign up to get involved here and someone will be in touch shortly with more information. ...

Mass meeting endorses a state-wide action for forests

March 21, 2023

GECO's mass meeting event on Tuesday March 7th, 2023 was designed to build confidence within the environment movement to continue to organise for forests, despite increasing repression. It also proposed a common platform with First Nations struggles and the union movement in how we...

Sign up for our new Research and Submission group!

February 01, 2023

The new GECO research and submission group will work within GECO to help us develop strategy, write kick ass government submissions, and bring more stories to the spotlight with journalists this year. Want to be a part of this initiative? Go here to sign...

Unburnt Errinundra refuge gets some protection!

December 07, 2022

Remember the Defend Errinundra campaign in 2021, which saw over 15 arrests and stopped logging for 5 months? Well, nearly 9000 ha (or over 4000 MCG’s worth!) of this critical climate refuge has now been put into Special Protection Zones, preventing logging. This is...

Why GECO fights for all native forests, not just old growth.

November 14, 2022

As a result of pressure from environment groups, including GECO’s campaign to save Kuark, in early November 2019 Daniel Andrews made the completely false post election declaration that 100% of old growth forest would be protected. It accounted to 90,000 ha at the time. ...

East Gippsland's Shire forestry paper supported by both Nationals and greenies?

October 18, 2022

An interesting predicament for anyone who knows the history of logging in East Gippsland. How could the council have unanimously endorsed a forestry position paper (p133) that both the Nationals and environment groups are both on board with? As it turns out, it's what...

New recommended protections for species post Black Summer. But how good are they?

October 07, 2022

Immediately after the 2019 - 2020 Black Summer bushfires, the state government rolled over the disastrous Regional Forest Agreements (which commit and define the practice of native forest logging). As part of this roll over the RFAs were required to assess and implement measures...

From vulnerable to endangered; how the Andrews government has fuelled decline of the Greater Glider

July 15, 2022

In devastating, but unsurprising news, the iconic Southern Greater Glider was listed as endangered under federal environment laws last week. Native forest logging, climate change, and bushfires were all named as serious threats to the glider which led to the listing. The Greater Glider...

New Laws Criminalise Forest Protestors

June 08, 2022

On May 24th 2022 Mary-Anne Thomas - Victorian state ALP Minister for Agriculture and Regional Development and Ingrid Stitt - ALP Minister for Workplace Safety, introduced the Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment (Timber Harvesting Safety Zones) Bill 2022 aimed at further criminalising forest protests at logging...

Where do parties stand on forests for the federal election?

May 18, 2022

While native forest logging is primarily the responsibility of state governments, there is still federal overlap and responsibility. We've produced this scorecard on what the positions are of major parties for forests.

'Defend Errinundra' Official Selection at union sponsored 'Dare to Struggle Film Festival'

May 06, 2022

GECO's campaign film 'Defend Errinundra' was showcased as part of the official selection of Sydney's Dare to Struggle Film Festival. Watch the film 'Defend Errinundra'.

How good was the Easter citizen science camp?

May 02, 2022

With the added attraction of senior botanist and East Gippsland specialist David Cameron, we had the biggest citizen science camp ever! Over 50 people attended for guided walks, talks & citizen science efforts and surveying. A new layer of people have been recharged and...

Devastating post-bushfire logging - 2 years in photos

April 07, 2022

At the beginning of 2020 we wrote to VicForests CEO Monique Dawson about the devastating ecological impacts of post bushfire logging. She admitted to rejecting the advice from leading expert in the field David Lindenmayer, instead relying on VicForests own determination and enforcement on...

BREAKING: Victorian government breaks old growth forest promise

February 25, 2022

Logging started this week in a patch of untouched forests in Swifts Creek on Gunnai Kurnai Country, despite the Andrews government promising to protect all old growth forests in November 2019. Greater Gliders and Yellow-bellied Gliders have also been found in the area, the...