National landscape listing is hollow without Tarkine protection

Tarkine falls pic by Nicole Anderson

• Christine Milne
Australian Greens Leader

JOURNALIST: What’s your reaction to the news today by Tony Burke that Tasmania, most of Tasmania’s been added as the 15th National Landscape ?

CHRISTINE MILNE: Look I’m really pleased that Tasmania has been recognised for the fantastic natural area that it is and that it’s going to be our 15th National Landscape. However it’s now incumbent upon Minister Burke to protect the Tarkine. You simply cannot go out there with a brand Tasmania which says look, this state is a fabulous natural landscape and then turn around and allow the destruction of an area which you’ve already been told and advised at the highest level has both cultural and natural heritage significance and ought to be listed as such. This clearly puts into context the campaign by Paul Howes and others to try and end any suggestion that we protect the Tarkine. Either we go with a strategy which says that Tasmania’s brand of clean, green and clever depends on listing us as a natural landscape, gives us a push into the international community, or you go with the thing that says no we’re going to trash the brand, we’re going to go with short-term mining interests and we don’t care about the longer term. This is the time to choose, this is the time when Minister Burke cannot any longer get away with a strategy on the one hand of saying, great let’s have a brand and tourism promotion exercise of a national natural landscape and on the other hand not protect the Tarkine for its cultural and high conservation values.

JOURNALIST: Therefore you still don’t accept that mining can coexist with other elements in the Tarkine?

CHRISTINE MILNE: Federal politicians have been grappling with the Tarkine for last decade, it has been flipped past from one environment minister to the next, every single time they say they’re going to go back and do more assessment. Every time that assessment turns up with even greater cultural and natural heritage values. The Tarkine is a fantastic area, it would give the north-west coast such a boost in the context of now being part of the 15th national natural landscape but instead of that we’ve got a minister who wants to go with the tourism and brand of nature and on the other hand not prepared to protect it. We simply can’t have that, let’s have some authenticity here, let’s have brand Tasmania which really is a celebration of our wonderful environment, of our world heritage area, and let’s protect the Tarkine and our forest at the same time.

JOURNALIST: Three Capes Track has been opened again today as well, another boost for tourism in the state, therefore what do you think about that as it’s being celebrated for its environmental effects and impacts or the fact that those impacts are low, what is your reaction to the opening of that today?

CHRISTINE MILNE: The Tasman Peninsula is a really beautiful part of Tasmania, it’s somewhere that we’ve been proud of for a long time because of its fantastic coastal vistas. I think it’s terrific that we have an investment in new walking track infrastructure. There are still issues though about the level of accommodation that’s going to be provided in the area because we want to make sure that local businesses actually benefit, that we have actually a win-win, that is new opportunities, new experiences in the landscape, but actually supporting and growing local businesses

• NATIONAL LANDSCAPE LISTING IS HOLLOW WITHOUT TARKINE PROTECTION

Cassy O’Connor MP
Greens Environment Spokesperson
Wednesday, 3 October 2012

The Tasmanian Greens today welcomed the state’s listing as the 15th National Landscape, but said the move was undermined by the Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke’s refusal to protect the Tarkine as a National Park.

Greens Environment spokesperson Cassy O’Connor MP said the Tarkine was facing a major environmental threat from the expansion of mining and logging, and it’s now incumbent for the Minister to step in.

“Tasmania is a land of truly unsurpassed beauty, and the only surprise is why it took so long for our spectacular landscape to be included on this list,” Ms O’Connor said.

“It’s a good step for Tasmania’s brand and for tourism promotion, but it’s ultimately hollow while Minister Burke refuses to do anything about the threats to the Tarkine.”

“It’s one thing to wax lyrical about Tasmania’s natural beauty, but Mr Burke’s words carry no weight while he continues to prioritise mining interests over the long-term future of an area with recognised World Heritage Area values.”

“The Minister’s prioritisation of mining interests is undermining the unique and world class natural and cultural heritage values of the Tarkine, even while it is currently being assessed for protection.”

“The Tarkine is globally recognised wilderness area, and it’s now incumbent on Mr Burke give meaning to this National Landscape listing by stepping in to protect the Tarkine.”

• Peter Whish-Wilson

Australian Senate Australian Greens Senator for Tasmania
media release
Tuesday, 2nd October 2012

So‐Called Liberals Stance on Tarkine Jeopardises Tourism Jobs

The so‐called ‘Liberal’ Party*’ should stop jeopardising Tasmanian jobs reliant upon the Tarkine brand, Australian Greens Senator Peter Whish‐Wilson stated earlier today.

“Mr Hodgman’s entire approach to this issue is predicated on lies and driving community division.

“The term ‘Tarkine’ can be traced back to the 1820s, and the Tasmanian Government has recently spent millions of tax‐payer dollars promoting the brand in order to grow the region’s tourism sector.

“Why are the Liberals trying to damage our economy, I thought they were supposed to support business?

“It’s also an outright lie to state that the Greens want to close existing mines. Mr Hodgman seems to relish creating uncertainty and talking down Tasmania at every available opportunity.

“This isn’t a fight any of us want to have. As a state we are tired of conflict, but the Tarkine is simply too precious to lose.

“Allowing myriad open‐cut pits in the rainforest not only destroys wilderness values, but also has the effect of threatening existing tourism jobs and limiting other future business opportunities.”

Tasmanian Greens Member for Braddon Paul O’ Halloran said it had become clear the Liberal party are naively trying to turn back the clock to a time when the Tarkine was considered to be one big quarry and logging coupe.

“Just imagine what it would have done to tourism investment in other parts of Australia if people had started recklessly throwing around terms like ‘so‐called’ Great Barrier Reef, ‘so‐called’ Uluru and the ‘so‐called’ Kakadu.

“Mr Hodgman’s blinkered support for environmentally destructive mining and logging in the Tarkine is economic vandalism, and it is creating a disincentive to investment in conflict‐free industries that rely on the region’s natural values to create jobs.”

• SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK

Caught out: Green groups exposed in double game at forest talks

Coalition Forestry spokesman Richard Colbeck has demanded full and honest disclosure of interests by environmental figures around the table of the State’s teetering forestry talks.

He said serious ethical questions had been raised by the forced disclosure of the make-up of the Tarkine National Coalition.

“Group spokesman Scott Jordan told journalists the Tarkine National Coalition had an ‘emergency meeting’ on June 1, deciding to suspend its role in the so-called forest peace talks,” Senator Colbeck said.

“What we now know is that Dr Phill Pullinger, apart from being a lead environmental negotiator in the talks, is also a member of the Tarkine National Coalition board.

“So at the time he’s part of a group headed for the door, he’s keeping his seat at the table.”

Senator Colbeck said the situation was a disgrace.

“No wonder the Tarkine National Coalition resisted calls to reveal the identity of its board members,” he said.

“How can industry possibly have any trust in the process when key participants are playing two positions at once?”

“How could this ever have become an enduring, durable peace deal with that sort of treachery going on?

“We have long known of this web that runs through the Green movement and suspected double games were being played.

“Now we have real proof and it is time for full disclosure of multiple interests by all of the green groups in the talks.”

• GroundSwell: Tarkine – World Heritage Now!

A group of activists have gathered at the community forum today (Wed) in Launceston to send a clear message to the Labor Government that the Tarkine needs an emergency world heritage listing.

T-shirts reading “TARKINE HERITAGE LISTING” were displayed outside the community cabinet forum at the Launceston College on Brisbane Street. Members of the newly formed environmental advocacy group GroundSwell maintained a silent peaceful vigil as the cabinet continued inside.

GroundSwell is a grassroots community direct action organisation advocating the protection of Tasmania’s natural environment and is based in Northern Tasmania. The purpose of today’s action is to call on the Gillard government to immediately nominate the Tarkine to UNESCO for world heritage.

“Panel Ministers Gillard and Burke should be ashamed that under their leadership, the Tarkine will be opened up to a new wave of open cut mining operations.” Spokesperson for GroundSwell Dr Lisa Searle said.

“The labour Government has so far failed to act on protecting the Tarkine; the second largest remaining tract of cool temperate rainforest in the world. We are not prepared to stand back and watch as our precious ecosystems are decimated for short term profit.” She continued.

The independent assessments of the Tarkine area have proven its world heritage and natural value.
In 2007, the Australian Senate formally recognised the World Heritage significance of the Tarkine, it has been recommended twice for national heritage and has been independently verified as an area of significant natural and environmental value.

Mining leases granted already in the Tarkine are scarring the landscape and the proposed open cut mines will see the destruction of vast swathes of pristine forest, the pollution of water catchments and ecological devastation to Tasmania’s unique environment.

“It is time for people to stand up and be actively involved in protecting the Tarkine, before it’s too late”.

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