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He adds:“ I learnt quickly that the Tasmanian Parliament had unanimously passed a bill to extirpate the tiger in 1888, and it completely succeeded.
“ It was the only case of documented legislation to send a species to extinction in global history.”
A 1975 decision ultimately led to Dr Brown’ s own moment in history.
Local forester Paul Smith asked him to raft down the Franklin River with him, which was under threat from a proposed dam that would involve flooding the river and the surrounding wilderness.
“ He had asked lots of others, but they had all turned him down. I was silly enough to say yes.”
This started Dr Brown’ s seven-year campaign to save the river.
“ I went from passing on what savings I had to the voluntary campaigners to becoming the director of the Wilderness Society.”
The society, which still exists, started
‘ You are in a much stronger position if you have listened to what the other side has to say.’
with 16 members who met at Dr Brown’ s house.
The demands of the campaign slowly ate into Dr Brown’ s time for GP work, and by the early 1980s he was unemployed.
“ I was a full-time volunteer and selling my assets.
“ I had a lovely coin collection I had to sell, as well as my car.”
He also received dead animals in his letterbox and death threats so serious that the police staked out his house on several occasions.
He says he always viewed his campaigning as“ preventive medicine”.
“ I just thought it was crazy to be building more dams when, in fact, this enormous storehouse for human restoration, inspiration and adventure— the Tasmanian wilderness— was free.
“ The medical literature shows more and more that nature is a wonderful anxiolytic,” he adds.
“ It is a great elixir for sad souls and much better than some medications because it does not have the side effects.”
The campaign came to a head in 1982 when 6000 protestors stopped workers entering the area.
Around 1300 protestors were arrested and 500 were jailed, including Dr Brown.“ I remember sending a little booklet about the Franklin to every GP practice in Tasmania hoping to raise some money, and I did not raise a thing,” he says.
“ But by the time of the blockade, people had got to know about it.
“ In fact, the jail doctor was a big supporter of the Wilderness Society.”
Dr Brown reflects on his 19-day imprisonment as a“ very social learning curve”.
“ I was not allowed a book on civil disobedience brought to me by a friend; they confiscated it.
“ But they forced us all to go to the monthly film show and watch the unexpurgated edition of Caligula, with rape and murder and all sorts of disgusting human behaviour.
“ I said I did not want to see that. They told me,‘ Mr Brown, you will either go or we will put you in solitary confinement.’”
The day after his release, Dr Brown was elected.
He had run unsuccessfully as an independent in the 1982 state election, getting 4064 votes, while Democrat Norm Sanders— another environmental campaigner— was elected with 4275 votes. But Mr Sanders resigned from Parliament after just seven months, citing the Tasmanian Government’ s treatment of the protestors, and Dr Brown was elected on a recount.
Four months later, federal legislation blocked the proposed dam, leading to a famous 1983 High Court of Australia showdown that the Federal Government narrowly won to save the river.
From this start, Dr Brown spent 10 years in the Tasmanian Parliament and then 16 years in the federal Parliament as the inaugural leader of the Australian Greens.
He counts freedom of information, LGBTQI rights and the scrapping of state-subsidised liquor cabinets for ministers as a few of his political wins.
“ I rapidly found that jail was a much more friendly place than Parliament,” he says.
But being a politician allowed him to achieve things“ I could never do on my own”.
“ When we got the balance of power in 1989 as Greens in Tasmania, we were able to double the World Heritage Area that had been set up during the Franklin campaign.
“ When we got that power again in 2010 in Canberra, we got through world-leading climate carbon trading legislation with the Gillard Government.”
For Dr Brown, the listening skills
Dr Bob Brown upon his release from Risdon Prison in Hobart, Tasmania, 5 January 1983. from medicine were vital in politics.
“ If someone came in, I was taught to listen to what they had to say and take notice of it.“ That has been with me all my life.“ Of course, as a politician, you have to make strong decisions under harsh criticism at times.
“ But when it comes to being able to sustain an environmental argument, you are in a much stronger position if you have listened to what the other side has to say.”
In 2012, Dr Brown decided to have another go at frontline activism.
He wanted to inspire the people he saw as being depressed by what was going on in the world.
He quit the Senate and founded the
PHOTO: NEWSPIX
Jimi Hendrix, 1968.
Bob Brown Foundation with his longtime partner, Paul Thomas.“ I am happier now,” he says.“ I have got a wonderful companion in
Paul. We have been together for 30 years.“ And with the foundation, I have the best workplace in the world.”
He takes inspiration from younger activists, including 38-year-old British GP Dr Patrick Hart, who has been jailed for a year after smashing 16 fuel pumps as part of a climate protest.
“ The response to the record destruction of global nature, particularly by climate change, has been to lock up the protectors of the environment,” Dr Brown says.“ He is a victim of that.” But he believes that Dr Hart will not feel“ downtrodden” when released.“ He will feel proud that he made a stand for his grandchildren and our fellow creatures on this planet.”
His advice to the doctors who take action? Look after yourself.
“ Do not be so anxious that the end of the world is nigh that you design a life that is grim.“ It puts you out of action.“ You have got to feel good about yourself and what you are doing.” He adds:“ I am very grateful for both my medical career and my political career because both, ultimately, are based on common sense.
“ It is with common sense that we protect what is left of the environment.”
The big question for him is how to do it effectively.
He frequently writes on this topic— often returning to his cottage in Liffey to do so.
“ I handwrite most things, and Paul types it up; it is a pretty good arrangement,” he laughs.
Despite having“ ticked over 80”, he will not slow down.
His criminal conviction for“ standing in front of a tree” at Snow Hill Forest Reserve to defend the critically endangered swift parrot is proof.
“ Cutting down the tree is legal, whereas trying to defend the tree is considered illegal. But that is the way it is.“ It has not deterred me one bit.“ I just love this planet; it is beautiful.
And I love being part of the solution.”