Media release – Eric Abetz, Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, 14 January 2025
Sticking to the facts on Tasmanian native forestry
The Tasmanian Liberal Government calls on the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank to return to its regional roots and back in Tasmanian family businesses working in our native forests.
The recent news that the bank intends to withdraw its longstanding support for T P Bennett & Sons, a Tasmanian forestry contractor, and drop them as a customer on “ESG grounds” is extremely disappointing.
Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, Eric Abetz, said it was important that corporate Australia stick to the facts on native forestry.
“Tasmania’s forestry sector, with its mixed approach of conservation and active forest management, provides an exceedingly high degree of environmental protection and sustainability,” said Minister Abetz.
“We are blessed in Tasmania to have a sustainable, word-class native forestry sector that puts food on the table for thousands of families.
“The news that Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is looking to withdraw their support for Tasmania’s sustainable, world-class native forestry industry is disappointing and misguided.
“Upon learning of this decision I wrote to Chief Executive Officer of Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, Richard Fennell, to express my genuine disappointment and frustration at this misguided decision.
“Tasmania has a legal, renewable, and sustainable native hardwood industry from which we source timber and fibre, including high-value special species and appearance grade timber.
“Timbers for these uses cannot be sourced from plantation – if we do not produce them here locally, they need to be imported at great cost.
“This would see timber being imported from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and South America – countries that frankly do not compare with Tasmania’s approach.
“What could be more sustainable than houses being built and furnished in Tasmania from sustainably grown Tasmanian timber harvested by local businesses? It simply doesn’t pass the pub test that a local bank wouldn’t be prepared to finance this type of activity.
“I’m proud to stand side by side with our forestry sector and will continue to support these businesses under our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future.
“Our Liberal Government will not be swayed by the views of mainland extremist groups which have a radical ideological opposition to native forestry.”
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 14 January 2025
Bendigo Bank applauded for standing up for native forests
Bob Brown Foundation welcomes Bendigo Bank’s decision to withdraw native forest logger TP Bennett & Sons as a customer on “ESG grounds”.
“Bendigo Bank is a leader in the climate and biodiversity crisis and their decision to withdraw TP Bennett & Sons as a customer is proof that native forest destruction has no social licence,” said Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaigns Manager.
“TP Bennett loggers are responsible for some of the largest scale logging in southern Tasmania. The swift parrot is critically endangered due in large part to the logging by the Bennett family. They have clearfelled the breeding habitat for this species and many other forest-dependent wildlife for decades. I have witnessed twenty-five years of destruction by TP Bennett in the Weld Valley, demolishing World Heritage value forests and across the southern region of Tasmania in forests that had the tallest flowering plants on Earth and homes to rare and endangered species,” said Jenny Weber.
“More recently, an employee of TP Bennett was found guilty of assault on one of our forest defenders who was protesting the logging of breeding habitat for the Swift Parrot,” said Jenny Weber.
“I encourage all Australians to thank Bendigo Bank for this move,” said Jenny Weber.
Bennett’s cable logged coupe behind Dover – May 2023.
Chris
January 18, 2025 at 16:43
Erica Betz says “This would see timber being imported from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands and South America – countries that frankly do not compare with Tasmania’s approach.”
Very true. We should grow palm oil like them and sell our nitens back to farmers for a dollar.
My farmer friend rubbed his hands in glee! Can the tax avoidance scheme be revived?