The Wilderness Society

It's Batman Vs. Logging.

Labor and the Greens are going head-to-head in the Federal by-election for the Melbourne seat of Batman. You might have seen in the news that the Adani coal mine is a big issue. 

But there’s an environmental issue much closer to home. The forests of the Central Highlands are fewer than 100kms from Batman. These forests provide safe, clean drinking water for Melbourne. Water that is trashed when these forests get logged. It’s little wonder the majority of  Victorians want these forests protected in the proposed Great Forest National Park.

Some pretty great animals live in these forests too — like Leadbeater’s Possums and Greater Gliders. They are killed when the trees they live in are destroyed, and logging threatens to wipe these endangered animals off the face of the planet. This makes protecting these forests not just Melbourne’s problem. It makes it Australia’s problem. 

In a nutshell, the big issue is that dodgy 20-year-old deals with the Australian Government mean logging can trash forests with impunity. These dodgy deals — known as ‘Regional Forest Agreements’ — expire 10 days after the Batman by-election. So it’s great timing to put the pressure on the pollies to fix the laws and stop the logging.

And the good news is, you can help.  Passionate locals are out on the streets making sure the good people of Batman know what’s at stake for Victoria’s forests. And they need you to back them up. That's why we're asking people to donate directly to supporting the campaign on the ground.

Critically, you will fund ‘direct mail’ advertising. Study-after-study shows that one of the best ways to get people to think about the issues during elections is to get hard-hitting mail in their letterboxes—and on their kitchen benches. We’ve got expert-designed ads ready to go to 15,000 carefully selected households—but we need dollars to press go.

Please donate today to back the campaign for forests in Batman. Every dollar helps.

Authorised by Amelia Young for The Wilderness Society, 353 - 355 King Street ,West Melbourne 3003.

Your donation will go directly to supporting volunteers to talk to the good people of Batman about the problems in our forests, and for printing and delivering direct mail to targeted households in Batman. That’s it. Our direct mail will include hard-hitting images of forests, logging and wildlife—from places right on Melbourne’s doorstep—and the key facts about what’s wrong with dodgy logging deals why they must be allowed to expire.

Forests isn’t the only important issue in the Batman by-election. Adani, refugees, public transport, energy costs and housing are all critical to the voters of Batman. We’re not trying to make forests the environmental issue in the Batman by-election. Expiry of the disastrous Regional Forest Agreements is a once in two decade opportunity to get stronger and better forest management in place. And with the Batman by-election happening just ten days before, we have a fantastic opportunity to show the candidates and that parties that people want forests protected in the Great Forest National Park and the Emerald Link, and an end to dodgy logging deals. Your donation will help us cut through.