The Bob Brown Foundation says that the Hodgman state government is zeroing in on more than 75,000 hectares of Tasmanian rainforests protected by the Howard government in the great pre-election stoush with Labor’s Mark Latham in 2004.
“After decades of wastefully incinerating millions of tonnes of Tasmanian rainforests and wildlife habitat in the export woodchip industry’s worst years, the state Liberals now plan to invade high-conservation-value rainforests for the same resource. In 2004 Prime Minister Howard, backed by then Labor Premier Lennon and the CFMEU, promised to protect the Tarkine rainforests which are of World Heritage value.”
“It is inherent in today’s announcement by Premier Hodgman’s Minister for Forests that those same forests are now on the chopping block. My foundation, for one, will defend those forests and their wildlife with every peaceable means at our disposal. The Hodgman direction shows that no conservation promise by the Liberals, not even John Howard’s, will be honoured by the Hodgman Liberal government. I call on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to override Hodgman and honour John Howard’s promise to the nation that the Tarkine rainforests would be protected. This is once again becoming a national pre-election litmus test for protecting Australia’s natural environment,” Brown said.
Jenny Weber, the Bob Brown Foiundation
