Solomon Islands: Aussie greenwash politician guilty of outrageous deforestation

At the very least, the file is an embarrassment for a leader trying
desperately to out-green Kevin Rudd on environmental policy. Coming
smack bang in the middle of the debate over an emissions trading
scheme, it is an unwanted distraction. At worst, it suggests profit
has been placed over the environment and with devastating
consequences.

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http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25119923-949,00.html

The tiny island of Vangunu is a speck on the world map; a dot in the
Pacific and home to just over 2000 people. It forms part of the
collection of thousands of land masses that make up the Solomon
Islands. Once covered in pristine rainforest, the island and the
surrounding Marovo Lagoon were the subject of lobbying by the New
Zealand government and environmentalists to have it World
Heritage-listed in the late 1980s.

Almost two decades later, the island is again being talked about – only this time for different reasons. The emergence of a carefully-documented file detailing mass logging operations and the ongoing impacts in the region has Vangunu back in the spotlight.

More specifically, the file – obtained by The Sunday Telegraph – records the involvement of Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull over that time. Mr Turnbull was the chairman of a company called Axiom Holdings after he and fellow investors purchased a 16.21 per cent stake in the company in 1991.

The company was one of several companies with logging activities in the Solomons. It was also one of the largest.

According to the documents, it was under Mr Turnbull’s time as chair that the company boosted its activities and
profits, with devastating consequences on the environment.

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http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,25119923-949,00.html