Mike Nahan, a senior fellow of the Institute of Public Affairs,is clearly not happy with the probability of the Tasmanian Greens helping form a minority government in Tasmania.(The Australian Financial Review 8/3)
Nahan laments the possible loss of business opportunities in,amongst other industries, “old-growth logging, agricultural biotechnology and coastal development”.
He warns that with minority government “Tasmanian’s risk economic destitution”. He blames the “federal system which compensates states for anti-growth action”.
He chooses to ignore that the above activities represent a major threat to a variety of labour intense and high value adding niche industries capable of delivering much more to the Tasmanian economy whilst avoiding environmental degradation.
It is safe to conclude that Nahan’s vision for Tasmania includes the grotesquely wasteful broadacre conversion of Tasmania’s biodiverse native forests to monoculture pulpwood farms (made possible by generous federal tax breaks), industrial scale agriculture using genetically modified crops (benefitting multinational companies like Monsanto but placing local organic operations at risk) and destruction of Tasmania’s unique coastline for sprawling developments (something not popular with local citizens if the Ralph’s Bay saga is anything to go by).
Mr Nahan appears not to have researched what the Tasmanian people themselves see as their future.
The picture which emerged from the Tasmania Together community consultation, commissioned by the Bacon Labor government in 1998, was that Tasmanians favoured clean, safe and clever industries which delivered quality, longterm jobs and a genuine valuing of the treasure that is Tasmania’s natural heritage.
Rather than attracting people “wedded to a poorer lifestyle” we are seeing an influx of talented and creative people from interstate who share this vision.
(Dr) Frank Nicklason
2 Alison Street
West Hobart
