Ok so the gardener has got a beating from the legal system.
What about the owner that organised this?
Were I in charge, there’d be a potential jail term here. Environmental destruction for the sake of some rich arsehole’s “water view” is abhorrent.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/09/trees-vandalism-lane-cove-council-sydney-gardener-fined-court-longueville-ntwnfb?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Reading between the lines I’d guess the owner is offshore and not legally reachable?
I’d suggest a minor reform if that’s the case.
You should not be able to buy property in Australia unless your country of residence has an appropriate legal treaty or extradition arrangements that can be employed.
Speaking as someone who owns property in the UK and Australia… I am absolutely fine with this. Seize my property if I hide from legal consequences.
Is it weird that eco vandalism is driving me toward a traditionally right-wing position of protectionism over land ownership?
@drunkenmadman after watching Legal Eagle's recent video on US tree law, I'm disappointed in both who was blamed, and the amount of damages.
My detesting of the legal system in the US aside, apparently they generally have very strong protections on trees, especially on public land
@sortius I’ll have to look up that video. Legal Eagle does make me pleasantly annoyed sometimes.
We should all have strong protections for trees. Fucking boomers who poison trees for the sake of a view can’t die out soon enough.
@drunkenmadman maybe we should get the old Code of Humarabi back in place, and start applying the same to them.
I'm no "tree hugger", but, yeh, don't fuck with trees, they're important, and make life so much better
@drunkenmadman the article refers to another case related to the same location, guaranteed that is for the owner. They have probably been using this case to build evidence to prove that the owner was culpable