Tasmanian ALP snubs its nose at national party platform to join Liberals on World Heritage logging

Tasmanian Labor leader Bryan Green’s announcement to support World Heritage logging takes him down to the level of discredited Liberal Forests Minister Paul Harriss when it comes to forestry policy, the Wilderness Society said today.

Mr Green’s stance has already gone against the ALP’s national platform ratified at its conference just last weekend and flies in the face of last month’s UNESCO decision calling for an explicit prohibition on logging in World Heritage forests.

“There is no place for logging World Heritage forests, as articulated in the World Heritage Committee’s decision less than a month ago,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for the Wilderness Society.

“Bryan Green is lining up with Paul Harris and clutching at straws to mount an argument that somehow logging in World Heritage is allowed and a sensible way forward. This puts him at odds with the international community and his own party’s platform.

“Logging World Heritage forests for rainforest timbers would be the death of the specialty timber sector. Markets don’t support unsustainable logging, let alone rainforest logging of trees many hundreds of years old in areas listed as world Heritage.

Government today announced and celebrated a 28 per cent increase in international tourists visiting Tasmania1.

“On one hand Tasmania is celebrating international tourism in Tasmania, while on the other Labor and Liberal are lining up to snub their nose at the international community on logging in one our key natural attractions, the Wilderness World Heritage Area.

“The World Heritage Committee explicitly requested that logging be prohibited across the entire World Heritage Area and Tasmanian Labor should reconsider its support for World Heritage logging.

“People come to Tasmania to visit our wilderness and wild places, not take it home in their suitcase. Policies supporting logging in World Heritage forests are bad for Tasmania’s brand.”

1 http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/releases/tassies_a_hot_spot_for_international_visitors

Vica Bayley Tasmanian Campaign Manager The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc. www.wilderness.org.au