Jim Everett Puralia Meenamatta has been fined $1000 after he was arrested twice for defending native forests in Lutruwita / Tasmania from logging by the Tasmanian Government’s Forestry Tasmania.

Jim was standing strong for country!

Any extra funds raised here will be given directly to Jim to continue his important work.

The Palawa Plangermairreenner elder, poet, writer and filmmaker was arrested for defending forests in 2024. Taking action in the Bradys Lake forests on his 82nd birthday saying his birthday gift to the forests was asserting Palawa law in Country and in the Styx Valley, where giant eucalyptus forests were being destroyed for woodchips.

“The Palawa have been under colonialism now for 221 years and have never had any agreements with the colonial governments of Australia or Tasmania to become Australian citizens. Colonial Australia has no jurisdiction to arrest me or try me on charges for defending Palawa law in Country and my action is to challenge the lie of assumed citizenship,” said Everett.

“This ongoing destruction of native forests in Lutruwita must stop now. Climate change is bearing down on future human habitation on Earth. It is at a tipping point and government must acknowledge and act accordingly for the safe future of the people of Lutruwita and all people,” said Everett.

“Enough is enough. The destruction of our ancient native forests is an attack on our law in Country, which is pre-eminent to the colony’s alien sovereign from Britain. Until an agreement is made between the government and First Nations, so-called Australia will remain a colony,” said Everett.

“Colonial Australia has been a failure since the invasion of our First Nations in 1788. It has taken the colony a blink of an eye in First Nations’ history to cause immense destruction to our entire environment’s relational ecosystem and our people. Colonialism continues its cultural genocide of habitat and people. We have no power to stop the destruction of our cultural heritage. Our people are increasingly incarcerated in colonial prisons. The governments are still stealing our children, and the colonial assimilation program to remove our identity continues to cause trauma in our communities nationally,” he said.

“We are sick of this failed colony and its destructive practices for profits regardless of the negative impacts on our law in Country and its impacts on all people of the colony. To end this destruction, the colony should firstly make an agreement with First Nations to be Australian citizens and negotiate the conditions of citizenship to allow us to get on with healing our Country,” Everett concluded.

I am a friend of Jim Everett. I had the great privilege of being on country in the native forests with Jim when he took action. Ruth Langford who works closely with Jim, will recieve the funds from this fundraiser and pay for Jim's fines. We are here to help Jim be free of these fines.