East Gippsland Shire Council has approved a permit allowing the logging of 51 hectares of critical wildlife habitat, exposing a dangerous loophole that threatens to undermine Victoria's native forest logging ban.
The privately owned forest is critical habitat for rare wildlife, including endangered Greater Gliders, Long-footed Potoroos and threatened Yellow-bellied Gliders – all species recovering from the severe impacts of the 2019-20 bushfires.
The Council's decision, made on Tuesday night, comes after the state government handed responsibility for monitoring and compliance of native forest logging operations to local governments.
Victorian National Parks Association Parks and Nature Campaigner Jordan Crook said local governments did not have the experience or resources to police major logging operations.
"We know native forest logging kills iconic native animals such as Greater Gliders and Koalas and has no place in 2025," he said.
"The Victorian Government promised to close this destructive industry and paid out over $1 billion to do so, but they have left the back door open. With a single tick of a pen by the Planning Minister, native forest logging could end properly in Victoria."
The minister could shut the loophole by making a simple ministerial amendment to prohibit commercial native timber logging on private land, according to expert planning advice commissioned by the VNPA and other conservation groups.
"Without clear regulations, logging operations could ignore federal nature laws. This loophole within a loophole would further endanger rare wildlife," Mr Crook said.
"There's a simple fix to this destructive logging loophole. It needs to be implemented urgently to protect endangered wildlife and unique habitats.
"It's time to end this destructive industry once and for all as promised by the government."
During the council meeting, a councillor acknowledged the decision's significance, stating it "may open the gates to other properties doing the same thing."
Another councillor described the precedent as "the right step forward for into the future when we decide to open up more areas for harvesting."
The decision allows logging operations on private property in Cabbage Tree Creek near Cape Conran.
Leading ecologists and wildlife experts last week published a paper in the eminent scientific journal PLOS One, which found: "Ending native forest logging in Victoria will directly benefit at least 34 nationally listed threatened species by removing the ongoing threat of logging within much of their habitats."
The East Gippsland permit relies on self-reporting by the logging operator every six months.
"This is regulatory chaos," Mr Crook said.
"The council even acknowledges federal environmental laws might apply, but they've left it to the logger to decide whether to follow them."
VNPA submitted detailed advice to the Victorian Government in 2024 outlining how to close this destructive loophole but has received no formal response.
Note: We can facilitate
