Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonno Duniam said the Greens have shown their hypocrisy in the Senate today by calling for an end to the plantation timber industry.
“The Greens have shown another instance of hypocrisy today, with a clumsily worded motion calling for a plan to transition workers out of the plantation timber industry,” Assistant Minister Duniam said.
“It was Senator Rice herself who told the Senate last year that we should ‘celebrate the plantation-based industry’.*
“The Greens party policy initiative is to ‘ensure long-term sustainability of regional jobs and local wood products industries, by completing the transition to 100% plantation-sourced timber and fibre’.*
“Native forestry is here to stay, and our Government backs it.
“It’s an inconvenient truth for the Greens – but so too did the Federal Court which found the Tasmanian Regional Forestry Agreement to be valid and supports our view they are the best way to manage our native forestry industry.
“The Greens can’t have it both ways.”
ENDS
*10 December 2020, Disallowance speech for Industry Research and Development (Forestry Recovery Development Fund Program) Instrument 2020
*The Greens Policy Initiative