Pic: Nicole Anderson
The Tasmanian Greens today highlighted comments by former Labor MP now Chair of the Australian Heritage Council, Carmen Lawrence, accusing the Federal Environment Minister of placing the wilderness values of the Tarkine in jeopardy.
In State Parliament, Greens Member for Braddon Paul O’Halloran raised Ms Lawrence’s comments on Radio National this morning where she bluntly stated she was not satisfied that Mr Burke had fully considered the Council’s advice in relation to heritage listing.
Describing the Tarkine’s temperate rainforests as “exceptional in beauty and in rarity”, Ms Lawrence said that “if we don’t cherish these places and value them and protect the values for future generations, frankly we are vandals.” [1]
“Tony Burke has created an international embarrassment, and Carmen Lawrence has rightly exposed his decision to put short term profits ahead of ancient cultural and wilderness values,” Mr O’Halloran said.
“Ms Lawrence has accused Mr Burke of either not understanding the Council’s recommendations, or ignoring them under pressure from unions, and either way it is a shocking indictment on the Minister.”
“The appalling decision not to place the Tarkine on the National Heritage List, contrary to the advice of the Council, has left this wilderness exposed to unrestrained exploitation from logging and mining.”
“The Tarkine has been recognised as having national and world heritage qualities, so much so that CNN recently named it in one of ten of the last great wilderness areas, placing it in the same league as the Serengeti, ancient pyramids and the Grand Canyon.”
“This comes on the same day that Lonely Planet has recognised the Franklin, in Tasmania’s South West, as the world’s third greatest river experience.”
“This is the river once denigrated by former Liberals as a ‘brown, leech-ridden ditch’ in precisely the same way as current Liberals attack the Tarkine brand by putting the word ‘so-called’ in front of it.”
“The Greens believe that the best way to protect this precious place for future generations would be to declare a Tarkine National Park and World Heritage Area.”
[1] Frank Kelly interview with Australian Heritage Council Chair Carmen Lawrence on Radio National Breakfast: HERE
