*Pic: Matthew Newton’s ( http://matthewnewton.com.au/Commercial/People/1/ ) award-winning picture of a protest in FT’s HQ in Melville St, Hobart …
The Honourable Paul Harriss MP
Minister for Resources
Tasmanian House of Assembly
4th May 2015
Dear Minister,
The writing is writ large on the wall regarding the future of Forestry Tasmania (FT). Blind Freddy can see that forestry is plainly unviable (and I would suggest that this has been the case for two decades, but it has taken this long for government to accept this and act).
You are reminded that as the portfolio Minister you are a major shareholder of FT on behalf of the Tasmanian people. What have you done to represent the people regarding FT’s commercial failure, and your obligations under the Government Business Enterprise and the Forest Practices Acts? We never hear anything specific in terms of restructuring and future management from you. The big unknown is how the cash from the sale of the hardwood plantations will be spent. Hopefully, it will not be spent on upper management and board member salaries as they have proven to be utterly incompetent.
You are asked to respond urgently to this question.
John Lawrence’s post spells out the situation very clearly in economic terms.
http://www.tasfintalk.blogspot.com.au/2015/04/ft-closer-to-closure.html#more
The point now is, what we can rescue for the environment as a literal ‘scorched earth’ policy of clearfelling and burning iconic forests up to the terminal gasp would be an act of desperation for a dysfunctional and dying company that has only survived with massive government subsidy. In addition, further logging is not acceptable in the public interest.
I feel such a sense of sadness that beautiful Tasmania has suffered so long for nothing. A moratorium on FT’s loss-making activities needs to be implemented immediately. As has been stated numerous times, the best way for FT to stop losing money is to stop cutting down trees. Clear-felling Lapoinya FD053A now would be an obscenity beyond words. Clear-felling the Bruny Island coupe would be akin to levelling the pyramids to obtain builder’s rubble.
It has been suggested that paying off the entitlements to FT workers is unaffordable. Well, finally this problem, delayed for so long, has to be faced. It does not reflect well on government that the inevitable is having to be faced so long after the reality was evident.
It is to be hoped that the winding up of FT will be achieved in as bloodless a manner as possible. This will benefit government, the budget and the environment as well as removing the relics of a toxic empire which, having read Quentin Beresford’s book The Rise and Fall of Gunns, seems to have been created as a second monster to rival Gunns – similar foxes, same henhouse.
Further vital questions remain:
1/ How and when was the sale of FT’s hardwood plantation decided, and by whom?
2/ How is the money from the sale of these plantations going to be apportioned? Please provide details.
3/ Why should FT upper management and board members be salaried at the expense of Tasmanian shareholders?
4/ Under the Forest Practices Act, a full response by Ministers to stakeholders’ concerns is required, as opposed to delegating responsibility to the FPA. Why has this not occurred?
5/ With the probable winding up of FT, how they can they justify applying for FSC accreditation?
6/ Given that FT has managed the land and trees, it is ultimately the Tasmanian people who own these assets. How can it be yet again justified that these assets are being sold for the benefit of FT?
I would be grateful for an acknowledgement of receipt of this email and look forward to an early response.
Sincerely,
Mike Buky,
North West Coast,
Tasmania 7321
