NSW voters have elected a new State government.

NEFA welcomes the election of the new Labor Government, given their commitment to a Great Koala National Park, and increased protection for Koalas. The fight for our forests is far from over. The new government refuses to place a moratorium over the Great Koala National Park while they undertake an assessment to see which parts of it they will include in reserves, which could take years. An emboldened Forestry Corporation continues to target the best Koala habitat for logging, announcing they also now intend to start logging NEFA's proposed Sandy Creek Koala Park.

Though the balance of power has shifted, the government is in minority in the Lower House, with 3 Greens and 9 other independents they can pick and chose who they need to support their legislation. Though in the Upper House they will have to rely upon the Greens and progressive independents to get their legislation passed. The Greens have made protecting forests one of their key asks.

Meanwhile the draconian changes to the logging rules made by the Nationals continue; they removed tree protections and now there is no requirement to leave larger trees that may one day form hollows and provide homes for the more than 170 species that need tree hollows to shelter, nest, den and breed. They lessened stream protections so there will be more erosion, siltation, sedimentation and downstream flooding. And they also removed requirements for pre-logging koala surveys, going back to the requirements of the 1990s that if a koala is in a tree, wait till it leaves before you cut it down! No recognition of koala home ranges, koala colonies or favorite trees. No wonder they are now endangered.

For forests outside the areas the government will allow to made into the Great Koala National Park, there is no reprieve under Labor. They have offered nothing to improve protections for threatened species, or waterways. Nothing about retaining the largest trees. Nothing about recognising that forests are the best carbon capture and storage technology we have.

We have a hard fight ahead of us to stop logging of public native forests, though we now have hope that with your help we can get there.

While we plan our new strategy, you can continue the fight for our forests and our future, here are some resources you can use:

We have edited the fantastic, and sadly still relevant Endangered Species Roadshow film - On the Brink, with cameos from world-renowned scientists David Attenborough, David Suzuki and David Bellamy and voice overs by Jack Thompson and Olivia Newton-John. You can watch it here.

Award-winning filmmaker David Bradbury has made this moving film, Gondwana, Going, Going...Gone? Featuring clips and interviews from some of the recent forest actions from across our region. You can watch it here.

Politicians and industry often make extraordinary claims about the significance and impact of logging. We have prepared responses to Frequently Asked Questions you can read here.

Electoral comment on this page, is authorised by D. Peterson, 11 Panorama Rd, Lismore.