Conservation Foundation Appoints Top Gun as President

Australian corporate leader and environmental activist Geoff Cousins AM has been appointed as President of one of the countries largest Not for Profit environmental lobby groups; the Australian Conservation Foundation.

Best known for his campaign to stop the Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania, Cousins has been elected to succeed retiring President Professor Ian Lowe who has held the position for the last ten years.

And the corporate high flyer, whose appointment is effective immediately, has already taken a swipe at the Federal Government’s environmental policy.

“I start as President at a time when the environmental challenges facing Australia are bigger than ever and the response needs to be different and commensurate,” Cousins said.

“Sadly our Governments are taking Australia in the wrong direction, damaging nature and our fragile climate.  There has never been a more crucial time for ACF.

“Our elected leaders have a responsibility to be stewards of our magnificent environment –when they fail in this, people have to step in.

“The country needs strong leadership on the environment. I believe in the power of the people.  When people stand together and speak up, governments and business take notice.

“I’m honoured to be joining Australia’s leading environment organisation with a 50-year history of achievement in protecting the environment and educating the public about the big environmental issues.

“ACF has achieved amazing things for Australia, including stronger protection for some our most cherished places, like the Great Barrier Reef, Antarctica, Kakadu, the Kimberley, Cape York and Tasmania’s forests.”

“Geoff has had a long and distinguished career in business and is well known for his successful campaigns to stop the Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania and the proposed Woodside gas hub on the Kimberley coast,” ACF CEO Kelly O’Shanassy said.

“He brings to ACF a brilliant understanding of how business in Australia works and how people power can change things for the better.”