Liberals rule out ‘real change’ for the logging industry

The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc
Media Release
2 March 2010

The Wilderness Society today condemned the Tasmanian Liberals’ forestry policy, describing it as a carbon-copy of Labor’s logging plan and a continuation of the special treatment out-dated politicians have always given to the logging industry.

The Liberals’ plan offers nothing new. It seems to support a continuation of oldgrowth logging, continue the industry’s dependence on taxpayer-subsidies, continue community conflict, and support the burning of Tasmania’s native forests for power generation. The Liberals are also building on Premier Bartlett’s strategy of wedge politics in the lead up to the 20 March election.

“This policy appears more about wedge politics than a credible vision to haul the forestry industry out of its current crisis,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for the Wilderness Society.

“The Liberals don’t seem to realise that world markets are turning against native forest products.

“Throwing hundreds of thousands of dollars at public relations campaigns to re-brand unsustainable logging as acceptable will not deliver a real solution to the industry’s current crisis.

“The Liberals claim to be offering ‘Real Change’ and that’s exactly what the Tasmanian timber industry desperately needs. But instead of industry reform, Mr Hodgman has come up with more of the same old policies, condemning Tasmania to environmental degradation, social conflict and a continued collapse of an out-of-date industry.

‘Mr Hodgman and Mr Bartlett seem to share a stronger interest in wedge politics and milking community divisions for political gain, than any real desire to bring the timber industry into the 21st Century,” concluded Mr Bayley.