Economy
Forests: Peace in our time?
Environment Tasmania, the Conservation Council, The Wilderness Society, Australian Conservation Foundation.
Forests Breakthrough: Environment Groups and Forestry Sector Sign Agreement
A major breakthrough has been achieved in the long running dispute over Tasmania’s forests.
Timber communities, forest unions, industry and environment groups today announced an agreement has been reached to develop a more sustainable timber industry and end logging the state’s remaining valuable native forests.
The “Tasmanian Forests Statement of Principles” sets the state’s timber industry on a new path to economic opportunities through plantation-based forestry, protecting timber worker’s jobs and native forests.
The in-principle agreement is the first step toward a lasting solution to more than three decades of dispute over Tasmanian’s forests. The groups involved will now seek the support of both the Tasmanian and federal governments and major political parties before a timeline for implementation is finalised.
The agreement involves industry moving out of native forest logging and into suitable plantation forestry.
Environment and community groups remain opposed to the current proposed pulp mill in the Tamar Valley and emphasised that any future proposal for mill must be based on a new and transparent public consultation process.
“The forestry industry, unions and environment groups have found common ground in the interests of all Tasmanians. This will pave the way for a sustainable timber industry that protects jobs and also protects the state’s remaining unique native forests,” said Environment Tasmania’s Phill Pullinger.
“The goodwill demonstrated through this agreement is genuine. People’s jobs depend on it, the state’s economy will be damaged without it and the protection of our native forest heritage is now possible through it.”
An end to logging of native forests will also protect critical habitats for Tasmanian devils and other threatened species.
Under the agreement, a moratorium on the logging of high native forests will be phased in over three months, while maintaining essential supplies for necessary timber mill operations.
A major focus of the agreement is on establishing a competitive marketing edge for the timber industry — producing more of the sustainable timber products increasingly demanded by consumers – and the development of a range of plantation-based down-stream processing facilities, including a pulp mill.
DOWNLOAD, Statement of Principles:
final-Principles-signed.pdf
Phill Pullinger, Environment Tasmania
Paul Oosting, The Wilderness Society
Lindsay Hesketh, Australian Conservation Foundation
Signatories to the Agreement (alphabetical order):
Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)
The Australian Forest Contractor’s Association (AFCA)
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU)
Environment Tasmania Inc (ET)
The Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT)
The National Association of Forestry (NAFI)
Tasmanian Country Sawmiller’s Federation (TCSF)
The Tasmanian Forest Contractor’s Association (TFCA )
Timber Communities Australia Ltd (TCA)
The Wilderness Society (TWS)
High Resolution press photos are available for download at:
http://www.et.org.au/media-images-tf
Joint statement:
19 OCTOBER 2010
STATEMENT
on the “Tasmanian Forests Statement of Principles to lead to an agreement”
Statement to be delivered by the Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association and Environment Tasmania – two parties to the Tasmanian Forests Statement of Principles.
Section to be read by Ed Vincent, Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association;
“Five months ago representatives of environment groups, the timber industry, community and unions began a series of talks to address the crisis within the timber industry and explore options to develop and deliver a solution to the conflict over forestry in Tasmania.
In exploring these options, the groups developed a Tasmanian Forests Statement of Principles, to form the basic framework for a new forests agreement for Tasmania. This would be an agreement that aims to deliver a wholistic and lasting solution to the conflict over forestry in Tasmania, protection of our natural environment, the development of a strong and sustainable future for our timber industry and a strong and vibrant future for regional communities and economies in Tasmania.
Today ten organisations who have been involved in the talks confirmed that they have reached agreement on this first stage in the process and signed a Tasmanian Forests Statement of Principles.”
“We have sought and achieved this Statement of Principles to enable a better future for Tasmania. Tasmania needs support for a new future for our industry, needs support from government for a restructure of our industry, and needs the certainty that a solution like this will bring, to be able to plan for the future,” said Mr Vincent
Section to be read by Phill Pullinger, Environment Tasmania;
“Representatives of the parties to the Statement of Principles this morning jointly presented and briefed the Tasmanian Premier, Greens leader Nick McKim and leader of the Opposition, Will Hodgman about the Statement of principles.
The signatories are seeking the support of the Labor, Liberal and Greens parties at a State and Federal level for the implementation of the principles, including the ongoing involvement of the parties to the principles, and a process that now broadens out to involve the whole Tasmanian community in the development and delivery of a solution to the Tasmanian forests conflict.
The groups will now await a formal response in the next few weeks from the State and Federal governments. This is an important milestone, but is only the first step in what will no doubt be a very difficult process over the coming months to deliver the implementation of these principles and a new forests agreement for Tasmania.
“We now have a unique opportunity to move beyond the decades of conflict over our native forests. This is an important first step in finding a solution.” said Phill Pullinger.
Signatories to the Statement of Principles (alphabetical order):
Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)
The Australian Forest Contractor’s Association (AFCA)
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU)
Environment Tasmania Inc (ET)
The Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT)
The National Association of Forestry (NAFI)
Tasmanian Country Sawmiller’s Federation (TCSF)
The Tasmanian Forest Contractor’s Association (TFCA )
Timber Communities Australia Ltd (TCA)
The Wilderness Society (TWS)
ABC Online:
A document which aims to end the decades-old war in Tasmania’s forests has been delivered to the State Government.
The Statement of Principles has been thrashed out behind closed doors over the past five months between environmentalists and the timber industry.
The document has been handed to the Premier David Bartlett and Greens leader Nick McKim.
The handover was delayed this morning after a fire alarm forced the evacuation of the Tasmanian Parliament.
It is understood the document commits both sides to immediately end logging in high conservation forests, with a longer-term end to all native forest logging.
A key stumbling block of burning forest waste for power has been resolved, with agreement to use only plantation forest waste wood.
Read more HERE: Forestry peace deal signed and delivered:
Andrew Darby, The Age:
A PEACE deal has been struck to save Tasmania’s wild forests after a quarter of a century of conflict between the logging industry and the environmental movement.
Marathon talks between industry, union and green groups will culminate in the handover today of a statement of principles, already signed by both sides, to Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett.
Advertisement: Story continues below
The deal is designed to shift loggers out of Tasmania’s ancient forests and into a sustainable plantation-based industry.
Under the deal, Tasmania is expected to go to Canberra to seek hundreds of millions of dollars compensation to secure the future of the timber industry.
The industry bowed to demands from environmentalists on the last stumbling block – a clause that restricts the burning of timber as biomass fuel – sources told The Age. Green groups, in turn, agreed to recognise existing wood supply contracts.
The struggle between activists and loggers over Tasmania’s old growth forests began in the mid-1980s.
During the dispute, tens of thousands of hectares of tall eucalypt forests up to 400 years old have been clear-felled – mostly for low-value export woodchips – and hundreds of protesters have been arrested.
The dispute has claimed several political scalps, including then opposition leader Mark Latham in 2004. His offer to protect the Wilderness Society’s list of high conservation value forests and give $800 million compensation to the industry was regarded as having contributed to his 2004 election loss.
Greens leader Bob Brown, who was dragged through the mud by loggers and later shot at in the 1986 Farmhouse Creek protests, said the agreement could represent a landmark in the dispute.
”Nothing like this is ever totally finalised,” he said last night. ”But I have high hopes that this could be the greatest breakthrough since the promise Mark Latham held out.”
Despite several federal government interventions that protected more forests and compensated the industry, the logging and the protests continued as recently as last week.
The peace process began after a Labor-Green government was elected in Tasmania in April, and as the industry saw international markets moving against native forest logging and a slump in profits.
The peace ”road map”, as it has been described, recognises the need to stop ”industrial forestry” of old-growth forests in a time frame to be agreed. It still allows for specialty timbers to be logged from these forests, for purposes such as craftwood.
It calls for a move to ”a strong and sustainable industry based on a range of plantation-based industries including a pulp mill”.
No mention is made of timber giant Gunns proposed $2.2 billion pulp mill project, and there is no calculation of compensation required, or jobs that will be shed or gained by the transition.
But it says the state should ask the Commonwealth to help rebuild the industry to ensure timber communities are able to be more economically resilient than they have been until now.
Andrew Darby’s full Age story HERE
Other reports: HERE
REACTION:
Tarkine National Coalition celebrates historic forests agreement
The Tarkine National Coalition is celebrating today’s historic Statement of Principles as a great day for the Tarkine.
As a result of this agreement, around 70,000 hectares of unreserved rainforest and tall eucalypt forest in the Tarkine would be protected by a moratorium within three months. This added to existing reserves means the entire 447,000 hectare area within the proposed Tarkine National Park boundary would be protected from logging. This area also matches the 2009 National Heritage Listing.
“We congratulate the negotiators and all parties who have contributed to this process from both the environment movement and the forest industry, and we urge the state and federal parliaments to support this agreement,” said Tarkine National Coalition spokesperson Scott Jordan.
“We are mindful that the shift out of high conservation value forests and the eventual transition out of commodity logging of native forests does represent challenges, and we will support calls for fair and just transition assistance to workers to enable them to take advantage of new opportunities in plantation based industries, restoration forestry or the emerging tourism opportunities in the Tarkine,”
The Cradle Coast Authority’s Tarkine Tourism Development Strategy has forecast 1100 jobs to be created based on tourism in the Tarkine.
“The future of the Tarkine today looks much brighter. Conflict over logging in the Tarkine can end today.”
“With 72% of north west coasters polled supporting the creation of a Tarkine National Park, we believe we can now bring the community with us in a positive campaign towards this goal.”
Friends of the Tamar Valley
NO TAMAR VALLEY PULP MILL IN FORESTRY DEAL
Community group Friends of the Tamar Valley welcomes the absence of support for a Tamar Valley pulp mill in the forestry deal.
“FTV is opposed to any pulp mill in the Tamar Valley because of the negative impacts it will have on community health, jobs and other industries in the Valley,” spokesperson for FTV, Vanessa Bleyer said. “FTV is resolute in ensuring that no pulp mill proceeds in the Tamar Valley.
“The absence of support in the forestry deal for a pulp mill in the Tamar Valley is a step towards bringing an end to the time-wasting exercise of pretending a Tamar Valley pulp mill will proceed. FTV calls on Premier Bartlett to bring the proposal to an end without delay, after the community has spent almost 6 years fighting to protect its beautiful Tamar Valley.
“The proposed Tamar Valley pulp mill will:
• Seriously compromise existing jobs, pulp mill sensitive businesses and the iconic Tamar Valley’s $500million a year tourism industry:
• Gunns is not about jobs, which Gunns proved by closing the Scottsdale mill yesterday sacking 120 Tasmanians. If the pulp mill proceeds, it will create just 280 jobs. At the same time, the pulp mill will cause the loss of well over 1000 jobs, with 1044 jobs lost from the tourism industry and at least 175 jobs from local fishing businesses.
• adversely affect the health of the 100,000 people that live in the Tamar Valley;
• verify an improper assessment process for approval of the mill;
• dump 64,000 tonnes of toxic effluent off the northern shores of Tasmania every day,”
Ms Bleyer said.
GREENS INITIAL RESPONSE TO FORESTS STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES
Acknowledge Goodwill Undertaken To Get to This Stage
Nick McKim MP
Greens Leader
Kim Booth MP
Greens Forestry spokesperson
The Tasmanian Greens today welcomed the release of the Forestry Roundtable Tasmanian Forests Statement of Principles to Lead to an Agreement, and congratulated all involved in achieving this milestone.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that the Greens are pleased to have received the Taskforce’s Principles, will study them carefully and will continue to be involved in discussion to develop an administrative framework by which the process will continue.
Greens Forestry spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that the Greens will continue to consult closely with all stakeholders and community representatives as the next stages flowing on from the release of the Principles progress.
“This is a significant moment for Tasmania’s forests and for our forestry industry, but it is just the first step along what will undoubtedly be a long road,” Mr McKim said.
“We thank all the stakeholders involved for their efforts, and pledge to work constructively in a process to move forwards,” Mr McKim said.
“We now have a once in a generation opportunity to deliver a timber industry all Tasmanians can be proud of, and continue to diversify the state’s economy to the benefit of all Tasmanians,” Mr McKim said.
“We have a co-operative government in Tasmania, and the Greens believe this augurs well for further co-operation on this difficult and crucial issue,” Mr McKim said.
“For Labor and Greens MPs to be at the table today with environmentalists and timber industry representatives is truly significant, and an encouraging start to an on-going co-operative approach,” Mr McKim said.
“The Greens will continue to talk with, and represent, the Tasmanian community in the best interests of forging ahead and delivering a long term solution for both our forests and to ensure a viable restructured industry is secured,” Mr Booth said.
“It is heartening to see that the community and ENGOs are able to sit down and help construct a viable future for an industry that has collapsed,” Mr Booth said.
“It is very important that these discussions can now continue and that the solution, which will require considerable public monies to achieve, is one that meets the community’s expectation,” Mr Booth said.
Mr McKim said that the Greens State MPs will continue to work closely with the Greens Federal Party Room on the issue.
David Bartlett, MP
Premier
Bryan Green, MP
Minister for Energy and Resources
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Statement of Principles Welcomed
The debate around the future of Tasmania s forests took a positive step forward today, with the signing of a Statement of Principles between industry and the conservation movement.
The Premier David Bartlett and Minister for Energy and Resources, Bryan Green, today confirmed they had received a copy of the document and had been briefed on its contents by roundtable participants.
It is clear that this is really only the start of the process and there is still an enormous amount of hard work to come to determine how these principles will shape the future of the forest industry, Mr Bartlett said.
In saying that, I am extremely pleased that these negotiations have reached this important stage.
The roundtable participants have shown a tremendous amount of goodwill to get to this point and what we have now is a set of shared principles from parties who six months ago were bitterly opposed, Mr Bartlett said.
Mr Bartlett said the statement of principles and the future of the Tasmanian forest industry would a key topic of discussion when he meets with Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Canberra later this week.
There is a shared responsibility to translate this document into a lasting agreement that can strengthen the forest industry for the future, Mr Bartlett said.
We simply cannot do this alone.
The important task for all levels of Government and all sides of politics is to respect the hard work that is been poured into this process and to help determine a way forward that involves the entire community.
As we have shown in minority government, building trust takes time, and there will be disagreements and there will necessarily need to be compromise on the tough road ahead, he said.
Mr Green said the Government would take time to carefully consider the Statement of Principles.
The State Government has deliberately remained at arm s length of this process to allow negotiations to run their course, however we recognise there is a role for government to play in progressing these negotiations to the next stage, Mr Green said.
We need to build on that goodwill in order to achieve a lasting resolution to this conflict.
An important part of that process will be broad community consultation, including with affected communities such as Scottsdale to ensure the wider public are kept well informed on progress.
This agreement is not about destroying Tasmania s timber industry, it is about strengthening it.
It is about showing that we are willing to embrace change to ensure that our forest industry remains at the forefront of innovation and best practice into the future, he said.
SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries & Forestry
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry & Science
M E D I A R E L E A S E
19 October 2010
Tasmanian forest principles
The Federal Coalition has today cautiously welcomed the release of the statement of principles by parties to the Tasmanian forests negotiations.
“The Coalition has respected the negotiations and the conditions by which the industry and the environmental non-government organisations (ENGOs) wanted to conduct them in,” Coalition spokesperson for Forestry Senator Richard Colbeck said.
“During this time, we have maintained close contact with both forest industry organisations and the ENGOs to understand the ongoing discussions.
“The Coalition remains concerned about some elements of the principles particularly the difference in interpretation already emerging between some signatories and the potential impact on forest industry players who are not a signatory to the document.
“I am pleased the groups plan to continue discussions as there are clearly important details to figure out including the future of the pulp mill, the use of biomass for renewable energy generation and access to native forest for the industry.
“I am very concerned that, despite this process being portrayed as bringing peace to our forests, Leader of the Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown today announced, ”Nothing like this is ever totally finalised”.
“It is clear from such comments the Greens and their followers will continue to campaign against the forest industry until it is completely dead.
“This attitude was demonstrated by at least four high profile recent resignations from Environment Tasmania, one of the lead groups in the negotiation process, due to a disagreement with a draft of the agreement.
Senator Colbeck said the Federal Government must ensure the Greens do not dictate to the Prime Minister and Forestry Minister over this critical issue.
“The influence of the Greens across the Gillard Government has vastly increased and it is a threat to the forestry industry, not just in Tasmania but throughout Australia.
“The forest sector is a major employer in the Australian economy. The Coalition will always support these jobs in what is a sustainable use of our natural and renewable resource.
“The forest sector is the only carbon positive industry in Australia and should be recognised as such.”
Still Wild Still Threatened/Huon Valley Environment Centre
Still Wild Still Threatened and Huon Valley Environment Centre will hold a press conference on Parliament Lawns today at 1pm.
“We wholeheartedly welcome yesterday’s historic agreement, and see it as a step in the right direction for our forests and communities,” Still Wild Still Threatened spokesperson Ed Hill said.
“While this is a positive step, the real progress to finally ending this decades-old dispute will be made on the ground when our
irreplaceable High Conservation Value Forests are put under moratorium leading to formal protection,” Huon Valley Environment Centre’s Jenny Weber said.
Bob McMahon, TAP Into A Better Tasmania
Media release 20 October 2010
Community outrage at signing of Forest Statement of Principles
Bob McMahon from TAP Into A Better Tasmania responded to the signing of the Forest Statement of Principles by saying: “The three environment groups have signed an in-principle agreement for a pulp mill in Tasmania which Gunns and Shadforths are already claiming is a social licence for the Bell Bay pulp mill.”
“Gunns’ share price rose 20% on the news of the agreement. The market cannot see any distinction between the environment groups’ support for a pulp mill and Gunns’ Bell Bay pulp mill. The environment groups have got some fast talking to do,” said McMahon.
“Gunns’ claim of a social licence for their pulp mill highlights the damaging tactical blunder made by the environment groups. They now face the near-impossible task of convincing their own members as well as the community at large, whom they have kept in the dark up until now.”
“Similarly, the promotion of plantations by the environment groups will attract only condemnation from communities right across the state which have been damaged by the cancerous growth of monoculture plantations”.
“The forest agreement fails to include principles of protecting water supplies sucked up by plantations and poisoned by herbicides and pesticides. There is no mention of protection of food- producing land, community health and rural community economic viability, all of which have been seriously impacted by plantations in Tasmania.”
“The community has been deliberately excluded and serious issue with plantations deliberately ignored,” continued McMahon.
A public meeting at Rowella last night arranged by TAP to discuss the collapsed housing market in the Rowella/Kayena/Sidmouth area metamorphosed into an outburst of anger and outrage at the actions of the environment groups.
“The word ‘betrayal’ was used repeatedly. I have to say the Greens copped a hammering as well,” said McMahon.
“The meeting affirmed that Gunns had no social licence for their pulp mill. Not now. Not ever. The 45 residents who attended the meeting also affirmed that they were ready for the fight,” concluded McMahon.
Will Hodgman:
FORESTRY JOBS MUST BE TOP PRIORITY IN NEW DEAL
We will look closely at the details of the forestry roundtable statement of principles, but I can only reiterate that our first priority in this process is to ensure that the jobs of regional Tasmanians are protected.
We are already seeing in Scottsdale the devastating impact that mass job losses can have on a small, regional community. We cannot let this happen in other regions around the state.
We will continue to talk to and represent the forestry workers around the state that rely on a diverse forestry industry to make a living.
This is not so much the end of the forestry talks, as it is the end of the first phase. There are still a number of unanswered questions regarding the impact these principles will have on the community and the economy and we still have no idea how much this process will cost or how many jobs will be lost.
It is vital that the next phase of talks produces a result that will not destroy the forestry industry, but instead provide a clear pathway for the many workers and small businesses to thrive in the future.
Peter McGlone, Director, Tasmanian Conservation Trust
TCT RESPONSE TO THE FORESTS STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES AGREEMENT
The Tasmanian Conservation Trust today said that the Forests Statement of Principles Agreement promises a great outcome for protection of high conservation value forests in wilderness areas but is concerned that it is not a complete plan for conservation of forests. In particular it fails to address the need for protection of forests for biodiversity – found primarily on private land.
TCT Director Peter McGlone acknowledges that the agreement shows that considerable common ground exists between the industry and conservationists and this is a good basis for further negotiation. The TCT also acknowledges that the agreement promises to protect up to 600,000 hectares of mainly wilderness forests on public land and the TCT strongly supports this.
“The agreement presented to the Premier David Bartlett yesterday is not a complete plan for the conservation of Tasmania’s forests and there a number of key issues yet to be addressed” said Mr McGlone. “For this reason the TCT has decided not to endorse the agreement but we hope that it can be built on and improved.”
“As well as not delivering on biodiversity conservation on private land, the agreement fails to address some concerns regarding a pulp mill if that mill is to be located in the Tamar Valley, reform of Forestry Tasmania and the need to strengthen the Parks and Wildlife Service’s capacity to manage even more reserves (likely to be more than 50% of the state). It also does not include a scientifically based process for a transition out of disputed forests.”
“The current agreement does, however, hold out the prospect that some of these issues can be resolved during the implementation phase”
Among the issues of concern to the TCT are:
Private land biodiversity
Private land has not been given sufficient attention in the Agreement and yet private forests contain the majority of unprotected threatened species habitat, threatened forest types and freshwater ecosystems.
Nearly 40% of Tasmania’s unreserved forests are found on private land. The agreement fails to identify the crucial importance of private land for biodiversity conservation or commit to specific conservation strategies.
“There is a real risk that sufficient funding will not be obtained to achieve conservation outcomes on private land,” said Mr McGlone.
Gunns’ Bell Bay pulp mill
The TCT believes that opportunities were missed to deliver a forests deal which addressed concerns about Gunns’ Bell Bay pulp mill.
“Should funding be provided to Gunns as a part of this deal, it must be on the condition that Gunns addresses concerns regarding the location and type of its proposed pulp mill and the Pulp Mill Assessment Act is revoked,” Mr McGlone said.
Reform of Forestry Tasmania and reserve management agency
The reform of Forestry Tasmania, to remove their dominance of public forest management must also be part of the final outcome. The Parks and Wildlife Service needs to be reformed and better resourced to ensure they are better positioned to protect and manage the more than 50% of Tasmania which will be in reserves.
Transition of logging out of public native forests
TCT’s view is that if logging is to be halted across all State Forest it must be done on the basis of a scientific identification of high conservation value forests and not an arbitrary opposition to ‘commodity-scale logging’.
“A better basis for negotiations would be to seek a transition out of high conservation value public forests while leaving open the possibility of continued FSC certified logging of regrowth forest for high value products.
“Negotiating a complete transition out of public native forests will be a very difficult task and the TCT believes it has a role to play in the transition process because of its past work and experience with public and private landholders,” Mr McGlone said.
What the TCT will do next
The TCT has more than 30 years experience in campaigning for Tasmania’s forests and remains willing to contribute to the next stage of the process to protect Tasmania’s forests.
The TCT welcomes the State Government’s promise of broad community consultation and will be providing the State Government with a detailed critique of the agreement and make suggestions to make it a more complete and achievable plan for the future of Tasmania’s forests.
ENCOURAGING MOVE TOWARDS ENDING LOGGING IN HCV FORESTS
Nick McKim MP
Greens Leader
Kim Booth MP
Greens Forests spokesperson
The Tasmanian Greens today welcomed Premier David Bartlett’s commitment to taking significant initial steps in response to the statement of principles that were the outcome of forestry roundtable talks.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said there is no doubt that Tasmania’s HCV forests should not be being logged, and part of the statement of principles provides the opportunity for a moratorium to be put in place, and the Greens intend working constructively with the Premier to encourage a moratorium on the logging of these forests.
Greens Forests spokesperson Kim Booth said the principles require the Environmental Non-Government Organisations (ENGOs) to identify HCV forests around the state which will be eligible for a moratorium.
“There is no doubt that these HCV forests should not be being logged, and the Greens will continue to work towards protecting these forests,” said Mr McKim.
“Change is coming to the forest sector and we need to stop pretending that this is not so, and to manage that change to maximise the opportunities that it will bring,” said Mr McKim.
“Once the ENGOs have identified HCV forests around Tasmania a moratorium on logging these forests needs to be imposed,” said Mr Booth.
“It is very disappointing Forestry Tasmania have been deliberately targeting HCV forests in the knowledge that a moratorium is looming, and they need to cease this wrecking behaviour at once,” said Mr Booth.
“The Liberal Party are trying to use this once-in-a-lifetime chance for peace in Tasmania’s forests as a political wedge, and I want to know why the Liberals seem to be the only people in Tasmania who do not understand that the forest sector has collapsed, and that change is badly needed,” said Mr Booth.
YESTERDAY, Monday:
Insolvency, disclosure and FT. Ruth Forrest’s forensic eye
More dates than Casanova. Gunns throws another 120 out of work
Mercury:
HERE
Examiner:
HERE
And, Tuesday, there may be more to go:
ABC Online: More Gunns sawmill job fears:
There are fears Tasmanian forest industry job losses will climb, with more Gunns sawmills under scrutiny.
Gunns announced yesterday the Ling Siding softwood mill at Scottsdale will be closed within four months, with the loss of 120 jobs.
The company has confirmed it is looking at other parts of its business that may be consolidated or sold, including mills at Smithton, Deloraine, Evandale, and Austins Ferry.
The sawmill review is part of its push to become a plantation-based company, in line with the forest principles agreement due to be announced later today.
China demand pushes log/woodchip imports to record levels:
HERE
Gunns Share Price …
HERE