By JESSE GRAHAM
THE Magistrates’ Court ordered Toolangi’s Little Red Treehouse out of the forest in a hearing last week, after a DEPI campaign to find its owner came back empty-handed.
Local environmentalists, representatives of the logging industry and the Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) attended a hearing at the Mansfield Magistrates’ Court on 12 March for a ruling on the treehouse.
It was ordered that the owner of the treehouse – who remains unidentified – must remove the structure in the 28 days following the order, or forfeit it to the Crown for disposal.
Wednesday 9 April is the deadline for the treehouse’s removal.
The hearing came as a result of a DEPI notice placed on the treehouse’s tree in December, demanding a licence, permit or other relevant permission for the treehouse’s existence.
The matter was unresolved, and in February, DEPI applied to the courts to order the removal of the structure.
Current treehouse resident, Harley Sanderson, said the mood at the camp and with all the people in the campaign had been one of disappointment since the decision was handed down.
With 22 days left on the clock as of Tuesday 18 March, Mr Sanderson said that no formal decision had been made on whether to comply or not-comply with the order.
“If we weren’t go to by that (the deadline), we’d be breaking the law,” he said.
“It’s a hard one – people have put so much time and effort into the campaign to save the Central Highlands, and the government just doesn’t care.”
He criticised the decision made by the department to have the treehouse removed and said the group would “play it by ear” for the time being.
DEPI’s regional Director for the Hume region, Peter Farrell, said the department had hoped to find a solution outside of the courts, but the owner of the treehouse had not come forward.
He said the department could not condone “unlawful structures”, and that reasonable steps had been made to find the owners of the treehouse through notices and advertising in local media.
“DEPI respects people’s right to enjoy the forest, however unlawful structures cannot be condoned. DEPI asks that people respect the fact that structures cannot be erected without a licence, lease or authority,” Mr Farrell said.
The treehouse has hung 29.6 metres above the floor of the Toolangi State forest since November.
How do you feel about the decision to remove the Little Red Toolangi Treehouse?
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