Paul Harriss should resign after being repeatedly humiliated and contradicted by the Chair of Forestry Tasmania.
Mr Harriss described Forestry Tasmania’s financial result in glowing terms, only to be contradicted by the Chair, Bob Annells, who said last year’s paper profit, which was based largely on revaluation of the forest asset, was irrelevant and did not matter “one iota”.
It is clear from this morning’s performance in Government Business Estimates that the Minister is hopelessly out of his depth. At one point the Minister was left red faced because he didn’t even know how many people were on FT’s board.
The Minister has no idea how much of the plantation asset will need to be sold to cover Forestry Tasmania’s losses over the next two years. That’s despite announcing the sale eight months ago.
Mr Harriss also contradicted the Treasurer by only ruling out cash injections from the Consolidated Fund not more equity transfers from other GBEs.
The Minister has left the door open to increasing the Government’s letter of comfort to allow Forestry Tasmania to go into further debt.
It has been confirmed Forestry Tasmania has massive challenges to overcome to achieve Forest Stewardship Council certification.
To top it off, there is still no solution to utilising residues from the Southern Forests, which are strangling the industry. Mr Harriss mounted a pathetic defence of the Government’s decision to sell the Triabunna Wharf before the Expressions of Interest process for forest residues had concluded.
Forestry Tasmania is dying under Paul Harriss’ hopeless leadership. He needs to resign or this once proud company will inevitably collapse.
Bryan Green MP Labor Leader
