Andrew L. Urban offers his opinion of the Greens in today's Spectator. He thinks that they are:

"Illogical, ignorant, infantile, irrational and irrelevant" They are a "rancid infestation in Australia’s political kitchen, as they proved recently by their risible claims about bushfires and climate change, Australia’s humane response to South Africa’s racist violence against white farmers and the smearing of Senator Jim Molan as a coward and war criminal." And:

"Democracy is not well served by Greens sitting in our parliaments. They debase reasoned debate with their childish rants and demean what little respect we have reserved for our political representatives."

He sums up with:

"Nasty, hateful and ill-informed, the Greens have nothing to offer Australia".

Dear Shadow Minister,

The facts are that the Sheahan's got fined for clearing a vast number of trees including oldgrowth eucalyptus which were under a environmental overlay meant to protect them. It wasn't the Council who took it upon themselves to act but rather a bunch of his neighbours.

The amount of that initial fine? $2,500 and a commitment to do some restorative planting in the overlay zone which was not next to the house. Paltry really for the deed. They originally agreed to do so in 2003 but then told the Shire to get stuffed.

It took more pressure from the adjacent landholders to get the Shire to act again and it seems they did all they could to keep the matter out of the courts but finally that was the only course open to them.

The fact that the Sheahan's had left all the fallen timber where it lay thus creating and even greater fire danger very much worked against them in court. Added to that the magistrate found that their claim of a 'fire barrier' was not plausible because they “only sought to consider exemptions under the Mitchell Planning Scheme after the fact”.

By being so bloody minded they ended up with fines of $15,000 each and had $20,000 in court costs awarded against them when it could have been 5% of that if they had paid as they agreed to do.

They are not honest brokers in this. Best you go find someone else to fly your anti-bush flag.

Anyone who mistakes a TV entertainment show for a real life happening has got to be stupid; hence Sarah Two-Names being known as"Sea Patrol"!

SR,

Firstly, nothing you have quoted contradicts the points that I laid out above:
1: Sheahan cleared the trees around his property, and got fined for doing so.
2: When the fires came, his house was saved due to the fire break, whilst most of the surrounding houses were burnt to the ground.
3: In recognition of how dangerous the greens' policies were the NSW Rural fire has issued the 10/50 vegetation clearing provision that overrides any council bylaws allowing the clearing of all trees with 10m of houses and all undergrowth within 50m of houses.

I also see that you are quoting from Greens website from a statement by a greens councilor which is far from a reliable source.

Also, this Greg Barber claimed that " It is a myth that cutting down trees around your house will make your house safer"

Your kind of idiot.