On ‘Wood Banks’ Becoming Reserves …

Shane Broad MP, Shadow Treasurer, 2 June 2022

Big withdrawal from so-called “wood bank” as Liberals dump lockups commitment

Minister for Parks Jacqui Petrusma has today effectively locked up 22,500 hectares of the Liberals so called “wood bank.”

Hoping no-one was watching, Ms Petrusma tabled a paper foreshadowing the lock up at the end of Question Time in State Parliament.

That has left the Liberal’s no more lock ups commitment a smouldering wreck as a big chunk of the Future Potential Production Forests become reserves, conservation areas and national parks.

This is rank hypocrisy by a government which has campaigned over three elections now on a “no more lock ups” commitment only to now try attempt to sneak it into Parliament without debate or consultation with the timber industry.

This lock up is happening before the Rockliff-Ferguson Government completes its sustainable wood supply assessment due this year.

Sustainable Timbers Tasmania already cannot supply their contracted volumes of 137,000m of high-quality sawlog.

The Rockliff-Ferguson Government and Ms Petrusma are betraying the industry and their long held commitments to Tasmanians by shredding the state’s budget bottom line, surprising the salmon industry with a moratorium on expansion and now back flipping on their years of promising “no more lockups.”

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Cassy O’Connor MP, Greens Leader and Forests spokesperson, 2 June 2022

Liberals Finally Move to Inadequately Protect Threatened Forests inside TWWHA

A decade after the Tasmanian Forest Agreement was signed and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) extended under the Labor Green government, the Liberals have moved to formally protect threatened forests inside the TWWHA boundary.

In Parliament today, Parks Minister, Jacquie Petrusma, tabled a proclamation under the Nature Conservation Act 2002 and statutory rules to add reserve status to 25 400 hectares of so-called Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF) inside the TWWHA.

It’s a long way from the same government which, in 2010, joined the then Abbott Government’s embarrassing, failed attempt to wind back TWWHA extensions secured under the TFA.

Regrettably, only 2850 hectares of these high conservation value forests will be properly protected as the Mole Creek Karst National Park.

The remaining 22 550 hectares receives the lesser protection of Conservation Area or Regional Reserve.

Logging and mining are permitted on these tenures, although we trust the Rockliff Government, and indeed no future Tasmanian Government, will be foolish enough to allow such destructive activity in our globally significant wilderness.

These amazing forests are now safer formally in the TWWHA, but there’s still more than 33 000 hectares of intended future reserve forest (FPPF) that remains unprotected and under threat of logging. All these forests require protection as reserves.

We recognise advocacy from Aboriginal community leaders to have these lands returned to Aboriginal ownership, and the unarguable legitimacy of this claim.

We encourage the Rockliff Government to hear this call and respond with meaningful land returns.

The process has stalled, with no lands returned to First Nations people since 2005.

Land returns are core to reconciliation and must be progressed without further delay.

Desperate Shane Broad Advocates for Logging inside the World Heritage Area

In a desperate attempt to prove himself more anti-environment than the Liberals, Labor’s Dr Shane Broad has launched a bizarre attack on the Rockliff Government for moving to give reserve tenure to forests *already inside* the boundary of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.

These are the forests Dr Broad’s Labor colleagues agreed should be protected under the Tasmanian Forest Agreement.

Does Rebecca White support his ridiculous position, or doesn’t she have the leadership to rein him in?

The inclusion of these forests as formal reserves inside the TWWHA boundary was agreed a decade ago and the Liberals announced their intention to update their tenure from Future Potential Production Forest to formal reserve in the last term of the Parliament.

Dr Broad is either cynical or just dishonest. He’s certainly desperate for attention.

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Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 2 June 2022

Shane Broad makes Labor worse than Liberals on forest destruction: BBF

For the first time since the premiership of Paul Lennon, shadow treasurer Shane Broad has catapulted Labor right over the Liberals in advocating forest destruction.

“Just as the new Albanese government is flagging its concern for the environment in Canberra, here we have old Tasmanian Labor chiding the Liberals for not wanting enough forest destruction. Broad’s comments will send a ripple of disgust through most people, including Labor voters, who want Tasmania’s remnant wild forests and their wildlife, like in takayna / Tarkine, protected,” Bob Brown said today.

“Mr Broad’s rant at the Liberals for giving ground on logging in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, unless it is corrected by wiser heads in the ALP, will lose Labor a heap of votes at the next state and federal elections,” Brown said.

Bob Brown Foundation welcomes today’s announcement that native forests in the Great Western Tiers will be removed from logging zones.

“We look forward to Premier Rockliff leading this state into more protection of native forests on public land, for their climate and biodiversity values,” Jenny Weber said.

“Tasmania’s Government needs to move into a new era of acknowledging National Parks are necessary and best for conservation. Today’s announcement still doesn’t give these forests the secure protection they deserve,” Jenny Weber said.