The Tasmanian Conservation Trust today called on the Legislative Council to refuse Ruth Forrest’s proposed amendments to the Tasmanian Forest Agreement Bill 2013 which seeks to amend the Forest Practices Act to grant Forestry Tasmania exemptions to the Forest Practices Code.
‘The proposed amendments include a fundamental change to the objectives of the Forest Practices Act which have the effect of making the Act and Code subservient to the Tasmanian Forest Agreement Act,’ said TCT Director Peter McGlone.
Ms Forrest’s proposed amendment seeks to insert a new objective in ‘Schedule 7 – ‘Objectives of the Forest Practices System of Tasmania’ which will require the outcomes of the Forest Practices System to be “consistent with the intent of the Tasmanian Forest Agreement Act 2013”.
‘This means that provision of wood supply must be delivered as a priority over environmental protections under the Code,’ Mr McGlone continued.
‘This amendment would guarantee that Forestry Tasmania, but no other forest manager, is guaranteed approvals to log forests if necessary to meet wood supply requirements and that the requirements of the Code must be exempted to allow this.
‘This means that nesting sites for endangered birds such the swift parrot or wedge-tailed eagle can be destroyed so that Forestry Tasmania can provide every last tonne of wood to its customers.
‘It also creates a grossly unfair situation where other forest manager must obey the Forest Practices Code but Forestry Tasmanian may obtain exemptions when it requests them.
‘This is unfair on private forest owners and will only help to creat more conflict and not peace’.
Ms Forrest’s proposed amendment also requires the Forest Practices Authority to give regard to wood supply requirements while not ‘diminishing the ongoing application of the Code’. ‘But this clumsey caveat is in conflict with the exemption amendment and will just create more uncertainty and conflict which will probably inspire the government to further weaken the Forest Practices Act in the future,’ McGlone concluded.
Tasmanian Conservation Trust Inc
Ph: 03 62 343552
2nd fl, 191-193 Liverpool St, Hobart 7000
Email : [email protected]
Fax: 03 62 312491
Web: www.tct.org.au
Tasmanian Conservation Trust Director Peter McGlone
