Environment Minister Tony Burke has spectacularly bungled the World Heritage nomination of 170,000
hectares of forest he bulldozed past Tasmanians in February.
Coalition Forestry spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck said it was well known the area included regrowth
forest from clear fell and burn, along with forests that are yet to be harvested and regenerated.
“Minister Burke’s nomination is broken beyond repair,” Senator Colbeck said. “The boundaries come up
against future harvest zones, which removes buffer zones required under world heritage requirements.
“And we now know that the area listed includes private land.
“Further, there are extensive areas where the listing area comes up against private property, impacting on
the property rights of the private owners.”
Senator Colbeck said the Tasmanian Government had requested that about 10,000ha be removed from the
listing to rectify the problems caused.
“It is our understanding that Mr Burke has refused in an attempt to save himself embarrassment, telling the
Tasmanian government if area is to be removed, it must be replaced with additional land,” he said. “Tony
Burke nominated 170,000ha and that is what he wants.
“This is hardly a systematic or scientific process.
“Just as he has done with his unscientific lock up of huge swathes of Australia’s oceans, he has done with
Tasmanian forests. It is a land grab at the whim of environmental interests.
“Tony Burke has put this up as a minor extension, which we know it is not. He was trying to avoid any
meaningful analysis of the nominated area. Because of his failure to consult and his attempts to have the
listing rammed through the World Heritage Committee, it has been comprehensively bungled.
“This is symptomatic of the way that Mr Burke operates – a sham process, littered with broken promises to
industry and favours to green groups.”
SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK Senator for Tasmania Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science
