Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt’s visit to Tasmania should not assure anyone that the new environmental legislation that the Government passed with the Greens political party will be positive for the native forestry industry.
Senator for Tasmania Jonno Duniam says that the Minister is being completely disingenuous when he states that the new environmental legislation will require forestry businesses to come up to standard and that there are no clauses that stipulate the shutdown of native forestry operations, and that his visit has raised more questions than answers.
“Forestry businesses are already at the required environmental standards, as is required by law, and as our foresters are proud to be. This is not the question. The Minister should be careful not to talk down our foresters that maintain their operations at a level unparalleled across the world.”
“The real question the Minister needs to answer is – will these new laws and the way they operate make it impossible for native forest operators to continue to work? The new laws will open up to green lawfare at every step, at every coup to be harvested.”
“While the bill doesn’t use the word ban – in effect that is what will happen. Why else would the Nick McKim and the Greens be celebrating? It is disingenuous to pretend this bill means anything else.”
“The Forestry Minister, a Tasmanian no less, also states that that the Government not ending native forestry and that they are ‘supporting the timber fibre strategy’. This is a word salad that actually means that the Government have a transition package for forestry businesses engaged in native forestry for when they are forced out of the industry.”
“I have read the legislation and I know what the deal is. You can bet your bottom dollar that Government would not provide transition packages unless they know that industries will be affected and jobs will be lost.”
“This deal is a sellout of Tasmania by the Labor Party. It eventually grants what the member for Bass wanted, and it flies in the face of the assurances given to the industry by the Prime Minister in 2022 and 2025 to not shutdown native forestry.”
“Tassie foresters have been talked down to by the Labor Party and they are being gaslit. It is shameful that the Labor Party have resorted to shutting down this proud industry and are trying to wriggle their way out of responsibility.”
ENDS