Media Release

Peter Gutwein MP
Shadow Minister for Forestry

Thursday 11th August, 2011

Schirmer bells the cat on disastrous Forest Deal

Leading forestry researcher Dr Jacquie Schirmer from the CRC for Forestry has joined the long list of people and organisations concerned about the disastrous Forest Deal.

It is reported today that Dr Schirmer has refuted the constant claims by Labor and the Greens that the forest industry is in crisis and so needs to be shut down.

Instead, Dr Schirmer has confirmed that sectors of the industry are doing ‘quite well’ which confirms our concerns that the continued lack of certainty the forest deal foists on the industry will hurt even those businesses that want to stay.

The reality is, the forest industry is not in crisis; one company has made a voluntary and commercial decision to exit native forestry and these circumstances should not be used by the Green-Labor Government to shut down the rest of the industry.

Yes, the industry needs to be helped through this adjustment phase; but shutting it down at the behest of the Greens is not the answer.

In addition, Dr Schirmer’s reported comments that the Deal doesn’t do enough to keep people in the forest industry are spot on.

Everywhere I go, forest contractors and workers tell me that they don’t want to bought out for a pittance – they want to keep on working in the industry.

Ms Giddings has absolutely no mandate for this disastrous deal – she should either rip it up, or call an election and let the people decide.

Opposition to the deal

Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (Original SoP signatory)
It is a “sell out of the forest industry…industry cannot and will not accept this sell out of Tasmania which will destroy the livelihoods of thousands of Tasmanian workers and will reduce investment to virtually nothing” (MR, 7/8/11)
It is an “abomination” (Terry Edwards, Press Conference, 7/8/11).

Timber Communities Australia (Original SoP signatory)
”What the federal and state governments have done is with no regard for families, and they have stolen the certainty we were looking for” (Barry Chipman, Advocate, 8/8/11)

Sawmillers’ Association (Original SoP signatory)
“But it hasn’t addressed the issue of paramount importance for us – as such, we have to oppose it” (Fred Ralph, Examiner, 8/8/11)

Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association
It is “a farce…the TFGA remains resolutely opposed to the agreement, for the unnecessary trade-offs it imposes by way of forest lock-ups…” (Note to members, 10/10/11)
“You’d have to have rocks in your head to think the present deal and pending inter-government agreement is good for Tasmania.” (MR, 5/8/11)

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
“This deal sells out Tasmanian jobs, our economy, and the livelihoods of future generations”
“It was concocted to suit Bob Brown and the Greens voters in trendy cafes of Melbourne and Sydney…” (MR, 9/8/11)

Local councils, such as Dorset Council
“The Statement of Principles and Heads of Agreement outcomes also appear to be economically ruining Tasmania at the expense of mainland politics, vested interests and complete disdain by Canberra of the plight Tasmania is currently in.” (Mayor Barry Jarvis letter to Premier Giddings, 4/8/11)

Australian Workers Union and the Manufacturing Workers Union
“At a time of serious global economic concerns it makes no sense to further compromise Tasmania’s fragile economy by unnecessarily displacing the remainder of the state’s forest industry by an Act of government which in affect destroys the capacity of the industry to survive by cutting off an adequate supply of resource”

Dick Adams Labor MHR
"Locking up more areas of Tasmania into national parks...can cost money to run, while we close schools, close police stations and close hospital wards." (ABC, 4/8/11)