http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/michael-o-connor/ Michael O’Connor has been National Secretary of the CFMEU Forestry and Furnishing Products Division since 2005, and has worked for the union for over twenty five years. During this time he has been an outspoken supporter of timber workers, their families and communities and has coordinated a large number of community campaigns in support of employment and resource security. He represents the interests of timber workers on a range of Government bodies including the Forest & Wood Products Council. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Sat, 26 May 2012 20:00:49 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/renewable-forestry-vital-to-defend-against-bushfires/ As we observe the first anniversary if the horrific firestorms that ravaged whole communities on Black Saturday, a typically scorching summer has again gripped much of Australia, providing a stark reminder that such dangers are a constant threat for those living in a sunburnt country. Yet despite an ongoing Royal Commission, a flurry of catastrophic warnings and a flood of big-ticket resources which go right up to a water-bombing jumbo jet, little attention has thus far been given to the vital role that sustainable forestry traditionally played in essential aspects of fire management. In recent decades, as politicians clamoured to placate the noisy environmental movement, they blissfully ignored the long-standing efforts of a sustainable forestry industry in managing forests, reducing fuel loads, building and maintaining access routes and fighting fires. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Michael O Connor) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/renewable-forestry-vital-to-defend-against-bushfires/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/renewable-forestry-vital-to-defend-against-bushfires/#item2357 Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:35:34 +0000 Michael O Connor | Author bios | The Punch