Washing his hands of the West?

Kim Booth Greens MR
Mr Booth also said that while Braddon is currently poorly served by Bartlett Government backbenchers who appear to have no idea what to do for the west coast, there is actually is no shortage of ideas for maintaining or even increasing employment and economic activity in the region, including:

PREMIER WASHES HIS HANDS OF WEST COAST COMMUNITY
While Ignoring Benefits That Would Flow From Greens’ Suggestion for new Tarkine National Park
Kim Booth MP
Acting Greens Leader
Sunday, 25 January 2009

www.tas.greens.org.au

The Tasmanian Greens today called on Premier David Bartlett to cease washing his hands of the west coast community and take steps to insulate the region from the global mining downturn, following reports that the Premier is now calling on the Federal Labor Government to take responsibility for assisting the region.

Acting Greens leader Kim Booth said the west coast will need assistance from all levels of government to prevent a damaging downturn in employment and to avoid the potential for a mass exodus from the west coast which will undermine existing services, social activities and school arrangements.

Mr Booth also said that while Braddon is currently poorly served by Bartlett Government backbenchers who appear to have no idea what to do for the west coast, there is actually is no shortage of ideas for maintaining or even increasing employment and economic activity in the region, including:

· the establishment and promotion of an iconic new Tarkine National Park;

· a new regional weed eradication strategy;

· clearing overgrown viewfields from various look-outs;

· construction and erection of new regional signage;

· rehabilitation of recently harvested pine plantations; and,

· upgrading the tourism experience at Lake Margaret, including a new walking track to Cradle Mountain.

“The Premier’s big words about the west coast do not hide his complete lack of interest or action, and the Greens are particularly appalled at his latest effort to deny responsibility for the people of the west coast by tipping them into the laps of his Federal Labor colleagues,” said Mr Booth.

“The Greens have recently suggested the establishment of a Tarkine National Park in the region and this move alone would result in the creation of many new jobs for the local community, as well as boosting local existing tourism operations, but the Bartlett Government’s silence about this positive suggestion is deafening.”

“Braddon constituents, and the west coast community in particular, are very poorly served by the Bartlett Government backbenchers such as Brenton Best who continually seek to divide for base political purposes but never seem to come up with progressive long-term suggestions to enhance their communities.”

“The community is sick and tired of politicians continually playing the blame game rather than uniting to seek the best possible outcomes for their constituents.”

“The ramifications of the global mining downturn for the west coast of Tasmania are entirely predictable and our Premier needs to take responsibility for the state that he leads, and assist the west coast community in this most difficult of times,” said Mr Booth.

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