Native Forest Logging Protests

Shane Broad MP, Shadow Minister for Resources, 17 March 2021

Elise Archer is failing the timber industry by refusing to enforce work and safety laws

Elise Archer is failing Tasmania’s timber industry by refusing to enforce Tasmania’s work health and safety laws to bring dangerous forest protests to an end.

Shadow Minister for Resources, Shane Broad, said the Attorney General has washed her hands of this important issue.

“The Bob Brown Foundation continue to hinder the legitimate activities of the Tasmanian timber industry in their never ending quest to end all native forestry in Tasmania,” Dr Broad said.

“Time and time again we have seen dangerous stunts for social media that include standing on loose log piles for photos, locking on to moving machinery and doing tree sits in remnant trees in logged coupes.

“These activities are all incredibly dangerous and could easily lead to the serious injury or death of protestors.

“As a result there have been at least a dozen notifications to WorkSafe Tasmania by respected members of the timber industry including contractors, Britton Timbers and even Sustainable Timbers Tasmania, yet no charges have been laid.

“Today in Parliament I gave Elise Archer an opportunity to stand up for our timber industry and commit to enforcing Tasmania’s work health and safety laws to bring the Bob Brown Foundation’s dangerous protests to an end.

“Instead, she refused to lift a finger and effectively turned her back on this vital industry for Tasmania.”

Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 17 March 2021

LABOR LOGGING LACKEY LEAPFROGS LIBERALS.

Tasmanian Labor MP Shane Broad is parroting the state’s most radical logging advocates in his call for destruction sites in Tasmania’s public forests to be out of bounds to the public which owns them, Bob Brown said today.

‘Broad is beating his chest in wanting to appear more pro-logging of our heirloom forests than the Liberals but this will run Labor into a blind ally of its own making. He is pushing Labor into a lose-lose contest with the Liberals for the minority viewpoint amongst Tasmanian voters that our native forests should be flattened and incinerated. With their wildlife!’.

‘If instead, Labor was to shape its forest policy around plantations, as New Zealand Labour did 20 years ago, he would be cooking with solar,’ Brown said.

Sources say the Governments anti-protest laws will be debated in the Upper House next week.