The Greens have backed Tasmania’s forest movement in condemning a proposed deal that could hand control over native forest protections to the Tasmanian Liberal Government.
The proposed agreement between the Albanese and Rockliff governments risks putting Tasmania’s ancient forests at the mercy of a government captured by the logging industry.
The Greens have also slammed a consultation process that has given the logging industry preferential access while shutting out conservationists, scientists and the broader community.
As stated by Australian Greens forests spokesperson Senator Nick McKim:
“This is a stinky stitch-up between Labor, the Liberals and their logging industry mates.
“Labor promised to end the logging industry’s free pass under national environment laws. Now they’re looking for a sneaky way to keep the chainsaws running.
“The Rockliff Government is hopelessly captured by the logging industry. Handing it control over forest protections would be like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse.
“The loggers have had a year to write the rules while conservationists and scientists have been shut out.
“Labor needs to stop this sham process and start protecting Tasmania’s ancient forests instead of helping destroy them.”
As stated by Tasmanian Greens Leader Dr Rosalie Woodruff:
“The Tasmanian Greens stand behind our island’s forest movement. We oppose the bilateral agreement between the state and federal governments that make Tasmania’s Forest Practices Authority the sole assessor for whether native forest logging occurs or not.
“The Liberal Government has long rubber-stamped forest destruction. It can’t be trusted to protect the environment from the impacts of logging.
“The government’s interests are in allowing the forest industry to continue to trash Tassie’s precious forests. Just one example of this is the recent destruction of swift parrot habitat, while those critically endangered birds were flying overhead.
“In a biodiversity and climate crisis, native forest logging should end now. Governments should be working together to protect the habitat and carbon stores that native forests provide, not destroy them.”
