Prison friction over drilling and woodhooking

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Northern Regional Prison project director Colin Shepherd was on site at Brushy Creek Reserve as geotechnical drilling began. Photo supplied.

Sharon Webb

Woodhookers caught cutting down trees on the Birralee reserve proposed for the state government’s new prison are being investigated by Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service compliance unit.

They may be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions to determine whether a prosecution should begin, a spokesperson said.

Neighbours of the crown land site have accused the state government of doing more damage than necessary in recent due diligence geotechnical drilling by bringing in more equipment than predicted. 

But others say the woodhookers’ vehicles did more damage to reserve flora than the drillers.

When drilling started on June 28, anti-prison WRAP members claimed that the drillers would damage plants on the reserve.

Spokesperson Linda Poulton said, ‘It is absurd that the government has finally acknowledged that the site has ‘sensitive natural values’ but will enter it with large vehicles anyway.

‘Any vehicles on the reserve will inevitably damage threatened flora identified there, including a new threatened species identified by the government’s own former environmental consultant in October last year. Many of these flora are dormant in winter and it will be impossible to avoid damaging them.’

Prison site neighbours CROWPS accused the new prison project director, Colin Shepherd, of misleading them.

Spokesperson Aaron Reader said, ‘He advised us in writing that the drilling rig is a specialised tracked machine with a 6m boom, about the size of a large 4WD. In addition, there would be a water tanker and a small vehicle to transport water from the tanker to the drill rig.

‘He said the works authority obtained included conditions to manage the sensitive natural values on the site.

‘Early morning on Monday 28 June, three large trucks, one with a drilling rig on the back, and four utes arrived on site. 

‘This convoy was far larger than promised by Mr Shepherd, more than when the drilling was first attempted last year with disastrous results.

‘Once again the promised transparency of the Gutwein government is questionable with taxpayers money again being wasted and Tasmanians again being fed lies.’