The Tasmanian Liberal government has performed a major policy reversal, announcing it will no longer pursue a plan to open up 356,000 hectares of the Future Potential Production Forest for logging.
This decision, announced by Minister for Braddon Felix Ellis, marks a sudden abandonment of a policy the Liberals have championed for over a decade.
While Ellis cited “community expectations and further consultation” as the reason for the backflip, opposition parties have been quick to condemn the move as a desperate political tactic.
Both the Greens and Labor have labelled the decision a cynical attempt by the Liberals to neutralise a key election issue and secure a stable government.
Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff, while welcoming the news, immediately questioned the sincerity of the move and demanded a legislated change to ensure the forests are permanently protected.
Similarly, Labor leader Dean Winter called the backflip “humiliating” and accused the Liberals of being willing to “do or say anything to stay in power.”
The political fallout from the announcement has intensified the ongoing negotiations to form a government, with both opposition parties framing the Liberal reversal as a clear sign of untrustworthiness.
The core of the issue centers on the future of native forest logging in Tasmania.
While the Liberals’ backflip protects certain forests that were part of a previous agreement, the Greens argue that hundreds of thousands of hectares are still at risk.
The Bob Brown Foundation criticises the Tasmanian Liberals’ decision to halt logging in 40,000 hectares of forest, calling it a deceptive move that does not address the broader issue of native forest destruction and the continued threat to critical wildlife habitats.
Media release – Felix Ellis, Liberal Member for Braddon, 09 August 2025
Tasmanian Government halts access to Future Potential Production Forest wood bank
The Tasmanian Government will no longer proceed with making up to 40,000 hectares available for forestry from the Future Potential Production Forest “wood bank”.
The “wood bank” comprises 356,000 hectares of land that was set aside to provide for future sustainable forestry production in Tasmania.
The Government will instead focus on maximising value from existing resources, including private forests, and ensuring growth in the industry through more innovative on-island processing.
We have made this decision in line with community expectations and further consultation.
The industry supports more than 5,700 direct and indirect jobs across Tasmania and is key to Tasmania’s forest firefighting response.
More than 50 per cent, or 3.43 million hectares, of Tasmania is in formal reserves.
The Tasmanian Government remains committed to getting the balance right between creating jobs and protecting the environment.
Media release – Dean Winter MP, Labor Leader, 09 August 2025
Forestry choice couldn’t be clearer
When it comes to protecting the balance between jobs and conservation in Tasmania’s forests the choice between Labor and the Liberals couldn’t be clearer.
On one hand there’s the Liberals, who have shown they will do whatever they can to restart the forest wars.
On the other there’s Labor. We’ve shown we are serious about maintaining the balance between supporting jobs and protecting the environment.
After having campaigned against the Tasmanian Forest Agreement for more than a decade, the Tasmanian Liberals have today completed a humiliating backflip on forestry.
Their plan to open up another 40,000 hectares of forestry was opposed by industry, Labor and conservation movement because it would have reopened the forest wars.
The Liberals’ backflip just shows how cynical they have become. They will do anything to cling onto power – even abandoning their signature forestry plan.
Felix Ellis in charge of forestry again will send shivers down the spines of industry and the conservation movement. His childish approach to the portfolio somehow left him without support from industry or the conservation movement.
The choice for the crossbench is clear. A Labor Government with a 13 year commitment to the Tasmanian Forest Agreement and its outcomes, and the Liberals who will do or say anything to stay in power.
Media statement – Rosalie Woodruff, MP, Leader of the Tasmanian Greens, 09 August 2025
Transcript of media conference Parliament Lawns
Rosalie Woodruff
Jeremy Rockliff has announced that the Liberals will walk away from their attack on the 356,000 hectares of forests that they’ve been pursuing for 11 years. This is extremely welcome news to the regional communities who were under threat of their beautiful forests being slashed and burned.
The communities of Golconda and Lilydale and Blessington and so many others in the north and north west have been under threat of forests that were to have been protected and but the Liberals intended to slash and burn. This is very, very welcome news, and it’s obviously something that the Greens have been fighting relentlessly since the announcement was made, since we found out about it about 18 months ago, and we’ve stood with the communities and fought hard with them.
And clearly this shows the power of having a minority government, a minority
Parliament, Greens in the crossbench and a more progressive group of independents there with us too. There’s no doubt that the vote in Tasmania is able to put pressure on the major parties to deliver these sorts of policy changes. The Liberals have now adopted Labor’s policy.
So this begs the question, what is Labor going to do for the environment? What is Labor going to say? And another day has gone by, only 10 days until we go back to Parliament, I still haven’t had a proper sit down conversation with Dean Winter. Dean Winter needs to step up, if he’s serious about getting the confidence of the Greens, and talk to me on behalf of the Greens, about real discussions about making the changes Tasmania desperately needs.
Journalist
Do you think this announcement today sets the stage for an end to native forest logging?
Rosalie Woodruff
This announcement says that the 356,000 hectares of beautiful, high conservation value forests that were always meant to be protected under the forestry agreement will not be attacked and burned by the Liberals any longer, and Labor have already made that clear to Tasmanians that that is their position, that they’re going to continue with.
This is the result of the pressure of the Greens and now a new minority Parliament arrangement, which makes it clear to both the Liberal and Labor parties that they cannot get it all their way, and we are so proud of the work that the communities have done standing up for their beautiful forests, and the work that we’ve done are supporting them every step of the way.
This is just a small step forward. These are forests that were always meant to be protected under the forestry agreement. They should never have been on the chopping block, but there are still hundreds of thousands of hectares that are every single day under threat and are actively being logged and destroyed by the Liberal Party.
And we need to talk about that. We need to talk about how we can move towards getting some real environmental policy changes from the Labor Party if they’re serious about being in government, they know that the Greens stood to stop the stadium to get environmental protections and to put money into health and housing. That is what we want to talk to Dean Winter about. He cannot have real budget repair if he doesn’t make some substantial changes in revenue on big corporations and cutting spending the lazy tax spending that goes on with taxpayers’ money into industries at the moment.
Journalist
Labor has labelled this backflip as a cynical move by the government just trying to neutralise an issue. How much do you trust that this new position from the Liberals will be consistent for the years to come?
Rosalie Woodruff
Well, we don’t trust anything that Jeremy Rockliff says for the long term. But this is a clear statement, and today we take it on its face. And let’s be clear, the Greens are going to be going back into Parliament to make sure that there is a legislated change so that these 356,000 hectares of forest are properly protected as they were always meant to be.
But today, what’s clear is that Jeremy Rockfliff has made an announcement about protecting those forests that was already Labor policy. So, what are Labor’s positions on the environment going to be?
When Will Dean Winter sit down and talk about health and housing, protecting the environment and fixing the budget with me?
Journalist
Do you believe both parties won’t back flip again?
Rosalie Woodruff
Well, the Greens never take anything for granted from the old majors and you know Jeremy Rockliff has backed down on his promises numbers of times, which is why we ended up in a situation of being in an early election. And Dean Winter has also himself changed his position seven, eight, nine times on the stadium. So we know they’re not to be trusted, and that’s why it’s so fantastic that there is a stronger more united progressive cross bench with the Greens returned and extra progressive independence to put pressure on both the Liberal and Labor parties to make the changes Tasmanians desperately need.
Journalist
You mentioned that you haven’t spoken to Labor yet. What have your conversations looked like with the independent MPs? And do you have a sense of how things are going to fall when Parliament returns?
Rosalie Woodruff
We’ve had some very productive, heartening conversations with the independent, progressive crossbench. It’s clear that there’s shared values and priorities, and that’s really welcome regardless of how things go, when we get back to Parliament, we will be a much more collaborative and constructive crossbench and more capable of putting pressure on whoever ends up being the new Premier and their government to make the changes Tasmanians need.
It’s pretty clear that Dean Winter’s Labor is not doing the work that’s needed at the moment. If he wants to become Premier, he needs to get serious, he needs to be able to have a conversation.
Let’s face it, there’s going to be a lot harder conversations that Dean Winter would have if he was Premier, than to sit down and have a chat with the Greens.
Journalist
The Greens are unable to, I guess, get any concessions from Labor in negotiations that might occur.
Is there any scenario where the Greens would offer confidence and supply to Labor, regardless of that, in the interests of a working Parliament?
Rosalie Woodruff
We’re really clear. Dean Winter hasn’t had a conversation, face to face conversation with me on behalf of the Greens yet, and I understand he’s running around the state talking to all manner of other people.
So clearly it shows that he hasn’t got his priorities straight. If he wants to get five votes from the Greens to give him confidence to be the next Premier of Tasmania, he has to sit down and genuinely listen to the issues of the people we represent. We heard relentlessly on the doors at the election that people want change, and that doesn’t mean business as usual.
What Labor has presented is business as usual. We don’t trust that that’s going to do anything to repair the budget or to protect the environment or to build homes for people and get the hospital beds when they need it. These are the things that we have to talk about.
Journalist
But if Labor doesn’t talk to you, have you made up your mind on what you’re going to do?
Rosalie Woodruff
We haven’t made up our mind, because I am going to push and do everything I can to make sure that Dean Winter understands that he needs to sit down have a conversation. So I feel confident that Dean Winter will get to the point of sitting down and having a conversation. What happens at that point? I don’t know, but, you know, I don’t believe it would be credible on any version of reality for Dean Winter to try to go back to Parliament without having a sit down conversation with me beforehand
On Tanya Rattray – Newly Appointed Leader of the House
Journalist
On Tanya Rattray getting appointed leader of the House. What do you make of this news?
Rosalie Woodruff
Well, it’s a concerning step because it effectively neutralises an independent vote in the House, on the face of it, so we are concerned about the step, and I don’t understand when there’s three Liberal members in the Legislative Council, what does this say about them and their effectiveness?
The only thing that we can take from it is that Jeremy Rockliff wanted to do what he could to neutralise an independent voice in the Legislative Council. And that’s hardly a step forward for democracy.
Journalist
She has said that if there is legislation she doesn’t agree with, she will vote against it. Are you saying you don’t believe that could happen, or does it occur in a difficult situation?
Rosalie Woodruff
Just on the face of it, looking at what Jeremy Rockfliff has done, it’s a vote of no confidence in the three Liberal members that he’s got in the Legislative Council. I don’t understand why they couldn’t have done the job. And also, it does seem to be with the intent of trying to neutralise an independent vote.
Journalist
She’s also, well, both Tanya Rattray and Jeremy Rockliff have said, this is a sign of a more collaborative Parliament with us working together? Do we accept that it could be more collaborative this way?
Rosalie Woodruff
I’ve said for a long time, I judge people by their actions. Jeremy Rockcliff hasn’t shown me that he is doing anything different to what he’s been doing for the years that he’s been Premier, and we’ll just wait and see what ends up. But it certainly looks like this is a move designed to take out an independent voice and to at least put some pressure to make it more difficult for her to exercise her independent voice in that particular position.
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 09 August 2025
FORESTS NOT SAFE IN ROCKLIFF & WINTER TASMANIA
The rapacious native forest logging industry will operate business as usual after Tasmania’s Liberals’ announcement today.
“The Liberals take a thing then give a thing: that’s a bad man’s plaything. The 40,000 hectares of forests Eric Abetz was going to flatten, Felix Ellis will now leave standing.
Meanwhile, the 300 or so jobs directly involved in logging native forests won’t be affected as thousands more hectares of critical wildlife habitat are unnecessarily flattened and incinerated by the next Liberal government,” said Bob Brown.
“Tasmania’s Liberal and Labor coalition continues to oversee forest destruction that harms the climate, biodiversity and fails to meet community expectations.
The removal of all public native forests from permanent logging zones and secure protection of Tasmania’s forests needs to happen immediately,” said Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation Campaigns Manager.
Media release – Wilderness Society Tasmania, 11 August 2025
TASMANIA’S RESERVED LANDSCAPES SAFE, IT’S TIME TO PROTECT ALL NATIVE FORESTS
Over the weekend, the Tasmanian Liberals announced their decision to “not proceed” on plans to release forest reserves in Lutruwita / Tasmania for logging. This is a huge win for local communities who have been working tirelessly to have these areas protected, as was promised over a decade ago.
In recent years, the Wilderness Society Tasmania has been leading the campaign to protect 39,000 hectares of native forests threatened with immediate release for expanded logging. The industry was paid over $121 million to have these areas protected, yet the Liberals have been secretly working to hand them over to the logging industry.
Now we need to protect all native forests in Lutruwita / Tasmania. In a climate and biodiversity crisis, the destruction of native forests is both unconscionable and anti-science. By ending native forest logging we can support biodiversity, safeguard drinking water, and store carbon. Protecting native forests from logging is the easiest way for us to mitigate the catastrophes we face.
“Sometimes advocating for the environmental interests of communities can feel a lot like lonely, disparate, voices screaming into a void. It is gratifying to see that our collective voices have been heard. As negotiations of who will form government are ongoing, now is the time for major parties to recognise that we need community rights in environmental decision making,” said Lilydale local Nom Blashki.
“Now the real work can begin.
Restructuring the forest sector and engaging the Palawa community to create a regenerative sector that centres the protection of the very systems that provide life. We understand that the forest provides the water that we all depend upon. Whether it’s hydro, agricultural or house holds, we all need water. Protecting our mature forests with intact relational ecosystems is not only economically smart it can create a real pathway to healing past wounds. Aboriginal knowledge and healthy forests are the way through,” said Ruth Langford, Yorta Yorta / Dja Dja Wurrung Aboriginal community leader, and Stand with Uncle Jim campaigner.
Forest campaigner for the Wilderness Society Tasmania, Hughie Nicklason, said,
“This shows that change is possible—the protection of nature is a political decision. The protection of all native forests across Lutruwita / Tasmania is both realistic and desperately needed. All we need is the political will.
“I want to congratulate the local communities on their efforts to have these landscapes protected. They have fought hard and long, and the plans to log these areas have caused them much anxiety. They rely on these forests for drinking water, and see them as a part of their community. This is a huge moment for them.
“Now, we end the mindless destruction of native forests and legislate upgraded reserve tenure changes for the total 356,000 hectares of ‘future potential production forests,’ consistent with the rights and interests of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Community.
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