Libs to lock in job losses and taxpayer subsidies to Forestry Tasmania, says Greens Leader Nick McKim: “Their Worst Sunday Special Yet.”
The Tasmanian Greens said the Liberal Party’s announcement on forestry today was nothing more than a rebadged business-as-usual model.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that Mr Hodgman was planning to legislate to lock in an unsustainable business model that had put thousands of people out of work in the last few years, and lock in ongoing massive taxpayer subsidies that should be going into schools and hospitals.
“Will Hodgman’s ideological obsession with destroying Tasmania’s forests has reached the point where he’s actually proposing to strip money from our hospitals and schools to do it,” Mr McKim said.
“Fortunately Mr Hodgman is not in a position to put this plan into effect, but if he was, he would be written up as the man who destroyed the forest industry’s last shot at a sustainable business model.”
“Where is the plan to address the long-term collapse in global markets, the need for environmental sustainability and genuine certification, crippling exchange rates, or the image problems plaguing Tasmanian forestry overseas?”
“Hasn’t Mr Hodgman read the URS report that finds that Forestry Tasmania cannot meet its obligations under the Government Business Act?”
“Somebody needs to remind Mr Hodgman that April Fools Day’s still another month away,” Mr McKim said.
Tasmanian Times tried to publish the Libs’ announced strategy … but the latest posted media release on their website, here, was 29.02.12.
And Monday, courtesy of a reader …
Will Hodgman MP
Leader of the State Opposition
Sunday 4 March, 2012
Libs to legislate for jobs and resource security
A majority Hodgman Liberal Government will move to provide resource security in our forest industry by tearing up the IGA and legislating to convert state owned forests available for production into a new category known as “Timber Production Reserves”.
This will give our vital production forests the same legislative protections as National Parks and formal reserves, and ensure resource security for the forest industry into the future.
So while Labor and the Greens are legislating to cut jobs, the Liberals will legislate to protect jobs.
While Labor and the Greens are legislating for more forest lock-ups, the Liberals will legislate to keep our productive native forests open and unlocked.
Currently, 47 per cent of Tasmania’s native forests are locked up for ever. If the job-destroying forest deal is fully implemented, more than 63 per cent of our native forests will be locked up forever.
We say enough is enough.
Currently, our State Forests and Multiple-Use Forests are seen as easy targets by the Greens and the environmental movement, always available for lock-up if enough political pressure can be applied – such as a minority Labor Government reliant upon the Greens for support.
The Liberals believe that our production forests should be given the same legislative standing as our forests that have been reserved for their conservation values, to ensure resource security and security of capital investment in our vital forest industry.
We believe in the triple bottom line approach to forest and land management but sustained political attack has seen the environment for political expediency being accorded a higher priority than economic and social considerations and it is time to restore the balance.
Our forests are owned by the people of Tasmania, and they should not be signed away at the whim of vested interests and political expediency, as we are seeing happen through the job-destroying forest deal.
