Email sent to the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull this morning with a copy to Tony Burke ALP who did so much, under Julia Gillard PM, to help draw up the Tasmanian Forest Agreement in 2013, subsequently “torn up” by the Hodgman Government.

Over the past 20 years, the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement has resoundingly failed to achieve either of its dual aims of protecting biodiversity or securing a sustainable forest industry. The Agreement expires in 2017.

The Chairman of Forestry Tasmania, Rob de Fegely wrote a 7 page letter to Tasmanian Ministers Gutwein and Barnett on 29.9.16 which is now in public circulation. It contains a thoroughly pessimistic assessment of the current and future economic viability of FT.

In addition to significantly increased risk of both resource and habitat scarcity, as a result of the first 20 years of this Agreement, and now with climate change, the RFA is even less likely to deliver on its aims.

Yet in a totally inadequate December 2016 consultation, officers of your Dept of Agriculture and the Tasmanian Dept of State Growth issued a document stating that both governments “have committed to establish a 20 year rolling extension to the TAS RFA”. Please contact [email protected] to confirm the above.

Simply locking in both economically and environmentally destructive behaviour for a further 20 years would be a disaster. Please end your government’s “commitment” to the TAS RFA and instead take action to transition Tasmania’s forest industry towards sustainable harvesting levels and to rigorous environmental impact assessments under strong EPBC Commonwealth legislation.

Only with a commitment to obtain both Forest Stewardship Council certification and a social licence for its operations, can FT move ahead. I have quoted from the FT letter referred to above and from the TAS RFA document. I have asked Sen.Peter Whish-Wilson to ensure you read my four pages as soon as possible.

As you stated at COAG: “The Commonwealth is not an ATM”. I agree. Please add this statement “My government will terminate the TAS RFA and turn the Tasmanian economy around.” For most Tasmanian voters this would be both popular and justified in 2017.
Rose Farrell