Sen Boswell said the threatened closure of Central Murray red gum forests made headlines on May 11 after the federal department’s stop work order, which threatened to destroy 1000 timber jobs in and around the regional town of Deniliquin, was revealed to media outlets.

Following up on the issue in budget estimates yesterday, Senator Boswell asked department officials to point to evidence showing declining Superb Parrot numbers in the Central Murray red gum forests but the question had to be taken on notice.

Survey numbers reported by community organisation the Superb Parrot Group and quoted by Senator Boswell during estimates show parrot numbers in the Central Murray red gum forests had increased 50 per cent between 2000 and 2008, he said.

“This is an outrage," he said.

"The environment minister and his department are behaving very cavalier with jobs in the Central Murray.

"But when asked to provide fundamental evidence to back up its job-destroying environmental claims, the question could not be answered by officials.

"It had to be taken on notice for referral back to the Senate.

“You either have the evidence or you don’t have it.

"And from the department’s response it can only be assumed they don’t.”

Questioning by Coalition Senators, further confirmed that investigations leading to the stop work order were initiated on advice of a Sydney-based green group, the National Parks Association of NSW.

The stop work order had been issued on consideration of an ecology report that the federal department refuses to release.

“Minister Garrett is the Government’s Minister for Green preferences.

"Obviously he doesn’t care about the jobs of blue collar workers.

“This proves yet again that destruction is being unleashed on Australia’s regional communities by the dangerous coalition between Labor and the greens."