In the face of catastrophic bushfires and as our climate and ecosystems collapse before our eyes, the right to protest native forest logging is more important than ever.

Across the continent, we are seeing an alarming trend of state governments moving to impose tighter restrictions and harsher penalties on protestors standing up for our forests and the animals that live in them.

Communities have long used peaceful protest to safeguard important environmental and civic values.

The Legal Guide for Forest Protectors guide, prepared by Environmental Justice Australia (EJA) and Lawyers for Forests Inc. (LFF), responds to some of the most common legal questions and issues that arise in forest actions. The guide incorporates the amendments to forest protest laws in the Sustainable Forests Timber Act 2004 (Vic) in effect from 20 May 2023.

We’ve also created a short fact sheet of the most important things to know about your rights in the forest and common offences.

Download the guides below, and learn more about the new laws here.

Quick fact sheet