The politics of division

Vica Bayley Wilderness Society. Opinion, First published The Examiner, Friday
After years of unhealthy debate Tasmania has a community known more for division than cohesion. Our government appears content to cultivate conflict and see the community turn on itself, promoting one controversial project or practice after the other. The pulp mill, the Tarkine Road and logging in the Upper Florentine are all examples of ill-founded activities with one, guaranteed outcome; division.
The Wilderness Society is focusing its efforts on finding a solution to the forest debate and working on a new vision for Tasmania. Will Premier David Bartlett work with conservationists and the forestry industry to find a solution that will provide all Tasmanians with a safe, healthy and prosperous future?

Few people, if any, can deny the desperate need to resolve the long running conflict over logging and woodchipping in Tasmania’s native forests. No one, bar corporate monopolies, is well served by the current situation in our forests, with the ultimate casualty being the entire Tasmanian community.

Can Premier Bartlett shape a new future for Tasmania? The answer is yes, he must.

Young Tasmanians are inheriting a state that is hurting and native forest logging is a big contributor to this pain. Logging in domestic water catchments is degrading water supplies, causing annual algal blooms and water shortages. Scientists are predicting increased local species extinction and coming generations will be burdened with the responsibility of tackling a human-induced climate change crisis driven by greed and fed by the logging of the world’s natural carbon stores; its forests.

After years of unhealthy debate Tasmania has a community known more for division than cohesion. Our government appears content to cultivate conflict and see the community turn on itself, promoting one controversial project or practice after the other. The pulp mill, the Tarkine Road and logging in the Upper Florentine are all examples of ill-founded activities with one, guaranteed outcome; division.

Tasmanians are also inheriting a native-forest logging industry addicted to woodchipping, taxpayer subsidies and a dependence on global commodity markets. As woodchipping has increased in recent decades, the industry has shed jobs and sawmills have closed. The reality of the global economic meltdown looms and Gunns’ woodchip exports are already predicted to fall further, with financial pain set to be passed on down the line to contractors in the bush.

The woes in the financial markets are seen as threats to jobs world wide. But here in Tasmania’s native forests, where jobs have been lost without a peep from unions, the financial crisis should be seen as an opportunity. With export woodchips falling, it is a chance to protect our forests for the natural and social values that are currently overlooked. It’s a real chance to restructure the industry onto a more viable economic, social and environmental footing.

Why throw good money after bad to prop up an industry that has no social license, is degrading our children’s environmental inheritance and tearing the heart out of community cohesion?

A forest solution is possible. Other countries and other states have managed to halt the environmental destruction and economic drain of industrial scale logging in natural forests and focus on the less-controversial, plantation based sector. Tasmania should be no exception.

Alternative economies and job opportunities abound in the practical response to the economic, environmental and climate change crisis we face. Tasmania could capitalise on this. An innovative Tasmania could lead the world in clean, clever ideas to export to the world.

Bush projects aimed at environmental restoration and reconnecting our fragmented landscape and the alternative industries that rely on a clean, cutting edge environmental image can create regional jobs if given clever government support. Staffing and financial commitments for our under-funded National Parks could increase. This could directly increase employment, improve park management and ease visitor impacts.

But no shift away from the status quo of destruction and division will come without leadership from those elected to lead. While promising much on his promotion to Premier, David Bartlett’s recent form on logging and forest based issues has been ill-informed and disappointing.

While making a million dollar a week loss, Forestry Tasmania is paid by government to progress provocative road building and logging operations in wilderness areas like the Tarkine and Upper Florentine. While doing so, the government forest manager is denying the release of critical information and refusing to participate in balanced public forums designed to explore community based solutions to the current impasse.

Community engagement in a forest solution is critical for success. Premier Bartlett must head Tasmania into the 21st century by leading a mediated process that brings all forest stakeholders together, involves the community and solves the forest crisis so Tasmania can realise its full potential as a world leader and a happy, healthy place for its children.