Southern Greater Glider, planned burns in the Federal Court

The court case brought by Save Our Strathbogie Forest to stop four planned burns in Southern Greater Glider (Petauroides volans) habitat in the Strathbogie Forest is nearing conclusion. The two-week hearing has ended, with a decision from Justice Horan expected ‘soon’.

Over the course of the hearing and case preparation, we have developed such respect and admiration for our legal team. Vanessa, our solicitor and Angel, our barrister (pictured, and others), pursued every angle of the argument, that planned burns in the four proposed areas would likely have a significant impact on the Southern Greater Glider and its habitat. They actually became the content experts in the case(!), which shone through and made all the difference.

The vibe from the gallery was that we won the argument, on the evidence, however, that’s not to say we will win the case, although we are hopeful.

From start to finish, it was a roller-coaster. Using the analogy of a five set tennis match (the hearing was held over ten days), there were multiple breaks of serve throughout and a couple of sets went to tie breaks. The ump was definitely imposed himself on the match and both sides challenged close-calls. SOSF used some drop-shots and top-spin lobs to catch the opposition flat-footed and out of court position.

Mercifully, we’ve been told we can expect a decision in the next week or two. That probably won’t involve any court time, we’ll just get the result. Following the result, regardless of who wins or loses, the decision may be appealed.

During the early parts of the trial, I was isolating at home with COVID and watching the live stream. I did manage to get to the two final days of sitting which showed me how different the two experiences are. The audio online was superior, but the view was dictated by the cameras. The court room itself has poor acoustics, but that’s counterbalanced by being able to see all the goings-on. I must say it was an overall absorbing event and one hard to convey to others in words. I’m particularly grateful to several committee members and supporters that populated the public gallery in the Court room throughout the case. It demonstrated that our case has strong community support.

At the end of proceedings, we gathered for a brief celebratory drink across the road from the court. The decision may still be in the balance, but challenging these burns and bringing this important issue to broader public and legal attention is already a win!

Photo – our team, Vanessa and Angel, being celebrated and enjoying refreshments at the end of the hearing.