24hr Turnaround Between Forestry Donation to Labor and Shane Broad’s Propaganda Onslaught

The Wilderness Society Tasmania slams Shadow Resources Minister Shane Broad's relationship with the logging industry, following revelations of a substantial donation to the Labor Party being followed by the commencement of Broad’s pro-forestry propaganda campaign on Facebook just a day later. 

New Tasmanian Electoral Commission (TEC) data shows the Tasmanian Forest Products Association (TFPA) donated $7,700 to the Tasmanian Labor Party on 27 January. The following day, Shane Broad MP launched a coordinated pro-forestry propaganda campaign across social media. 

The revelation comes in the wake of new electoral donations laws which came into effect on 1 July 2025, mandating that all donations over $1000 be disclosed to the TEC.  Since this time, the logging industry has directly donated two of the five largest political donations from companies, and nearly a quarter of all donations listed on the  monthly disclosure. 

The Wilderness Society Tasmania calls for the immediate resignation of Shane Broad,  an immediate halting of the current contract negotiations, and an independent investigation into the political influence of industry in Tasmanian politics. 

Hugh Nicklason, Campaigner for Wilderness Society Tasmania, says, “Tasmanians deserve better than crony corruption between government, political parties, and extractive industries. This raises questions about whether a major industrial lobby is buying political influence through political donations to parrot debunked propaganda as official party policy.” 

“Enough is enough. Tasmanians are sick and tired of government corruption and corporate influence. In a time of climate and biodiversity crises, our environmental policies should be led by scientists, not extractive industries.”

This follows a Wilderness Society report last month finding the logging industry has cost the Tasmanian taxpayer over $1 billion since 2001, as the Liberal State Government moves to lock in new long-term logging contracts, before Federal Environment Law Reforms are finalised, putting supply in doubt and risking enormous taxpayer-funded payouts. 

Shane Broad’s propaganda campaign has gone on to directly echo the TFPA’s talking points, pushing "certainty for industry”, “fire risk”, and “imports from Asia and the Americas”,  while dismissing community concerns over logging the Dial Range. 

These claims are contradicted by the evidence: the native forestry industry has knowingly logged itself into a supply crisis; there is a scientific consensus that logging increases risk and severity of fire; and Tasmania currently exports upwards of 95% of forest products. In 2025, Saul Eslake authored a report calling for the protection of the Dial, which is also supported by the central coast council and broadly in the community. 

This media release has been amended due to a defamation lawsuit threat from Shane Broad. Strategic lawsuits/litigation against public participation (SLAPPs) are legal actions which have the effect of intimidating, silencing, or financially burdening individuals and organisations advocating in the public interest. SLAPPs are a growing threat to free speech and democracy in Australia, particularly as they erode fundamental rights and freedoms enshrined in international human rights law, including our rights to public participation, the freedoms of assembly, association, and expression. The comments we made were honest opinions and fair comments based on proper evidence in a matter of public interest.

“SLAPP suits and SLAPP suit threats have been used to silence critics of destructive logging in Tasmania for decades. From the Gunns 20, to Forestry Tasmania threatening us late last year, to Shane Broad this week, all are pushed with strategic means - to silence those standing up for integrity, community, and our precious environment. We will not be silenced by such threats” said Hugh Nicklason.