www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today accused the Labor and Liberal parties of using Tasmanian forest contractors as political pawns and then betraying them when times get tough, after the two major parties again combined to vote down a Greens’ motion for fair compensation to be paid to struggling Tasmanian forest contractors, this time in the federal Senate.
Greens Forests spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the Liberal and Labor parties have repeatedly voted down and prevented Greens’ attempts at setting up a compensation package to help struggling forest contractors leave their shrinking industry with dignity, first in the Tasmanian Parliament, and now in the federal Senate.
Mr Booth also said that the cost of any buy-out package for forest contractors would be funded through a levy on Tasmanian woodchip sales.
“I am very disappointed that forest contractors have lost another chance for an exit package that would allow them to get out of their declining industry with dignity, and without losing their homes,” said Mr Booth.
“Why is it that the Labor Government bends over backwards for Gunns but cares nothing for the 30 percent of forest contractors who are the victims of a deliberate strategy by government to encourage over-capacity in the forestry sector in order to drive down the costs payable by Gunns and Forestry Tasmania?”
“These forest contractors have been induced into harsh and oppressive contracts which absolutely favour Gunns and Forestry Tasmania, leaving the contractors facing financial ruin as the world fibre market collapses.”
“It is the height of hypocrisy for the Labor and Liberal parties to use forest contractors for political gain, and then abandon them when the forest industry starts down-sizing.”
“Labor and Liberal are doing more than just turning their backs on forest contractors, these two political parties are actively standing in the way of a buy-out package aimed at helping Tasmanian forest contractors.”
“The oppressive contracts offered to forest workers effectively mean that they are now losing their life savings to simply prop up cheap input costs for Gunns and Forestry Tasmania.”
“The Greens are calling on the Labor and Liberal parties to support our compensation package to help forest contractors exit their industry with dignity, and without losing their homes. If Labor and Liberal cannot support a compensation package for forest contractors, then they should get out of the way and stop voting down our efforts to help these workers,” said Mr Booth.
Attached: Text of Greens’ motion that was voted down by Labor and Liberal Senators in the federal Senate, Wednesday October 28:
That the Senate—
(a) notes the financial plight of Tasmanian logging contractors, who have endured frequent cuts to timber quotas and shutdowns of mills and chippers; and
(b) calls on the Australian Government to help the Tasmanian Government:
(i) fund a financial exit package of a minimum of $20 million that allows those contactors facing financial ruin to leave the industry with dignity,
(ii) assess fair compensation for those contractors leaving the industry,
(iii) recover from Gunns Limited and Forestry Tasmania the total cost of the compensation package by the imposition of a levy on all future woodchip sales, and
(iv) conserve an areas equivalent to the total contracted volumes of wood from those contactors who exit the industry.
Kim Booth MP Greens Forests Spokesperson
