Premier undermines key Ministerial case for logging reserves

Premier Will Hodgman’s response to tough questions on the reasons for his bill to reverse oldgrowth and rainforest reserves for logging undermines the key arguments prosecuted by his Forestry Minister to make the case for the controversial move.

While Minister Barnett has repeatedly tried to establish that the logging of existing reserves is needed to substitute for the approximately 25% of Forestry Tasmania’s (FT) wood supply commitments that cannot be met commercially[1], the Premier states that it would be ‘optional’[2] for timber processors to take this wood.

“This is policy and legislative chaos,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for the Wilderness Society. “Not only is there a conspicuous lack of logic and industry or Ministerial Advisory Council support, when pressured the Premier undermines the very premise his minister has been making for logging these reserves.”

“If FT going to reduce its supply by the equivalent of its loss-making operations, with the balance to be made from reserved forests or private land, there is a question about how ‘optional’ it will be for processors to accept this wood.

“Who is correct, the Premier or his minister Guy Barnett?

Minister Barnett has also claimed logging reserves is necessary in order to ‘end the subsidies’ to FT, but any objective analysis demonstrates subsidies have and will continue to flow.

“Premier Hodgman handed Forestry Tasmania $30 million of public money though a TasNetwowrks equity transfer, hundreds of millions of dollars by absorbing FT’s superannuation liabilities and is proposing to sell off publicly-owned plantations, the only profitable and growing sector of the timber industry.

“Mr Hodgman’s plans to log reserves is damaging and highly counterproductive, and this is compounded by an absence of credible community or industry support and a confused, contradictory Government explanation.

“Properly protecting these forests as new national parks, building Tasmania’s brand around nature-based experiences and conservation credibility and leaving behind divisive politics is the only genuine way forward for Tasmania.

“Sadly for all Tasmanians, the culture war that comes with logging reserves is not ‘optional’ and the impacts would be wide ranging. Premier Hodgman should reconsider his own ‘options’ as leader of the state and choose one that is logical, supportable and takes Tasmania forward, not backwards.”

[1] http://www.premier.tas.gov.au/releases/ministerial_statement_-_forestry

[2] http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-27/neville-smith-forest-products-warning-tasmanian-forest-wars/8307064
Vica Bayley, Tasmanian Campaign Manager, The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc.