What the Greens, Timberworkers For Forests say …
Peg Putt MHA

Greens Opposition Leader

Tuesday, 3 October 2006

MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR FORESTRY TO CHANGE DIRECTION

Gordon’s History Points to More of The Same

The Tasmanian Greens today said that the appointment of Pulp mill taskforce head Bob Gordon to become next Managing Director of Forestry Tasmania was a missed opportunity to change the direction of forestry in Tasmania.

Greens Opposition Leader Peg Putt MHA queried that the person currently heading up advocacy for Gunns Ltd’s pulp mill through an extraordinary and controversial arrangement utilising public funds was in a potential conflict of interest situation, with the best interests of Forestry Tasmania being manifestly different to those of Gunns.

Ms Putt has also called for the Pulp Mill Taskforce to be disbanded, now that its head is leaving.

“What a missed opportunity to change the direction of Forestry in Tasmania, which could have happened if an outsider committed to genuine ecological sustainability and moving away from destructive broadscale logging for huge volumes of low value pulpwood had been brought in to refocus the industry,” Ms Putt said.

“Here we have someone who has spent years within Forestry Tasmania and has been heavily involved with efforts to lock in massive logging of native forests despite changing market trends and community revulsion.”

“How is the head of the Pulp Mill Task Force to make the transition from advocacy for Gunns’ interests to advocating for the interests of Tasmanian taxpayers in stewardship of our outstanding forests?”

“It seems that there is a conflict here and I wonder that the government is prepared to countenance such a conflict of interest situation for the next two months, Mr Gordon should relinquish his secondment to the Pulp Mill taskforce and return to Forestry Tasmania forthwith?”

“The pattern of cross subsidisation of Gunns by Forestry has been highlighted in analyses of their differing profit trends, and is something which a new head of Forestry Tasmania must tackle with urgency.”

“The odious Pulp Mill Task Force should be disbanded taking the opportunity of the departure of its head, and the pretence that this outfit can on the one hand act as Gunns’ public relations spin doctor to counter adverse publicity around their pulp mill plans and yet also masquerade as impartial should be jettisoned,” Ms Putt said.

Frank Strie, Timber Workers For Forests

MEDIA RELEASE

Timber Workers for Forests (Inc)

3/10/06

For immediate release

Subject: New Managing Director for Forestry Tasmania

“SHUFFLING THE DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC”

Commenting on the announcement that Bob Gordon is to be the new Managing Director, Timber Workers For Forests President Frank Strie said that Mr Gordon’s appointment was “like shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic”.

TWFF is disappointed that Mr. Gordon’s appointment indicates that FT will to continue attempting to compete in the world market with low value bulk commodities instead of turning its attention to high value niche markets.

“Adding Value to our forest resources needs to start with total quality management in the forests, not just ‘down stream’ after trees and forests have been cut down for lage scale foreign and multi-national companies” , Frank Strie said.

With Brazil alone having about 28 times the area of plantation compared with Tasmania and logging it in less than half the time. How will we compete on bulk?

When Chile, one of our major competitors for pulp sales with some 9 times the plantation resource of Tasmania, has a free trade agreement with China, one of our major target markets, how can we compete?

Despite the frequent industry claims of “world’s best practice and state of the art processing” the inconvenient truth is that Tasmania is a bit player in the world forest industry.

Worse, the continued policy of clearfell, burn and sow is destroying our really valuable timber, our soils and our natural capital, our heritage.

The industry cries out for new ideas and a new direction, one which will finally resolve the Forest conflict by creating employment and wealth for Tasmanians through real value adding in our forests while simultaneously reducing the dependency on volume of timber harvested.

The Board of Forestry Tasmania has failed the taxpayers of Tasmania by spending many tens of thousands of dollars on a two year search and then appointing one of its own.

As a result of this appointment, TWFF questions the government’scommitment to keeping the forestry estate in the public ownership.

Frank Strie,
President
Timber Workers For Forests Inc.

3.October 2006