Jonathan West
ABC pic of Jan Davis
According to Professor Jonathan West, Tasmania is teetering on the precipice of losing its forest industry. Professor West chaired the group that evaluated the areas proposed to be reserved under the intergovernmental forest agreement (IGA) – so you think he’d be in a good position to judge the situation.
He has been pilloried for what I thought was a pretty balanced summary of the state of our forests. He has given a frank appraisal of where we stand, with the IGA facing almost certain defeat in the Tasmanian Upper House.
He told members of the Legislative Council this week:
“My own view is we’ll probably fail. I don’t think we will reach an agreement, and I don’t think we will resolve the issue.”
He went on to say:
“I think we’ll probably lose our industry and, in response, we’ll probably be going down a path of cutting down the remaining forests.”
He said the environmental movement (of which he was once a leader) had the ability to destroy the industry as a whole through their targeting of overseas markets.
He was saying publicly what he has been saying privately to the TFGA for some time now.
With his permission, I want to pass on to you some of his sobering conclusions, as expressed to us.
“My fear is that if we don’t reach an agreement, the forestry-processing industry’s death spiral will accelerate. All parts of the industry have entered a process of collapse; this is no longer a ‘risk’, it’s happening now: woodchip export is essentially closed (the only remaining exporter is in deep difficulty and the only facility with sufficient scale, Triabunna, is in the hands of the greens); the pulp mill is on life support at best; the veneer mills are losing customers, losing money, phasing down, and only waiting for the outcome of the IGA to decide whether to close entirely; almost all forest contractors have applied for exit assistance; the major sawmillers are shedding jobs and looking for exits; and Forestry Tasmania is haemorrhaging cash and fighting for survival.
“The forestry industry in Tasmania is now uninvestable. No one in their right mind would wager their money there, other than for political games.
“Many will get hurt by this, through no fault of their own. But the biggest threat is a flow on that makes Tasmania as a whole uninvestable …”
I have a different view of the process that has brought us to this position. I do not believe the IGA is acceptable; and I have never agreed with the idea that a group of unelected and unaccountable people have the right to determine land use in Tasmania. I agree that conservationists have brought forestry to its knees and will not rest until all harvesting stops. However, perhaps naively, I still believe we can have a viable and sustainable industry that delivers triple bottom line benefits for all Tasmanians.
We now know, the evidence is everywhere, that this state is going to depend more and more on agriculture to keep the economy going. As a state, we don’t have much else going for us. The right to manage our privately owned forests as part of a diversified farming enterprise is just as important to the future of agriculture as the availability of water.
Yesterday’s announcement that construction of Tasmania’s biggest irrigation scheme is ready to start (TT: Farmers hail Midlands Water Scheme start) is brilliant news. Final approvals have been given for the $104 million Midlands Water Scheme. Construction contracts have been awarded and work is expected to start next month, creating 130 jobs in construction.
This is a major achievement – especially in light of all those who said it would never happen. Those naysayers should be eating their words.
All credit to Tasmanian Irrigation for the amazing effort they’ve put into pulling this off. Pats on the back also have to go to the state and federal governments who have contributed financially to this (and other) irrigation schemes. But, most importantly, we need to recognise the foresight and vision of the farmers involved who have carefully considered the prospects of the industry and their own businesses – and decided to invest in the future. They have put their own hard earned money where their mouths are – which is something many who have a lot to say about things like farming and forestry never do.
Tasmania’s farm sector is a bright light in an otherwise dismal economy. It offers salvation to many working Tasmanians and the prospect of a desperately needed boost to the state’s economy. The start of construction on the Midlands irrigation scheme is good news for all Tasmanians. It would be great if we could also see some positive developments in other areas affecting the farming sector – like forestry.
