SELLING TASMANIA'S FUTURE FOR $10/TONNE
Tasmania has the tallest hardwood forests on Earth, with trees reaching nearly 100m high. Tasmania also has Australia’s most destructive clearfell logging practices, followed by ‘regeneration burns’ (to kill the rainforest species) and intensive 1080 baiting (to kill those pesky native species which browse on eucalypt seedlings). An average 20,000 hectares of native forest (61% old growth) are clearfelled and burnt each year. Over two thirds of this is converted to exotic plantations. Forests are being cleared at night under lights to avoid scrutiny.
Tasmania exports more woodchips than the rest of Australia combined. The rate of clear-felling there has grown astronomically since the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) was signed. Meanwhile, there continue to be massive job losses in the timber industry. Government figures say 90% of logs taken from Tasmania’s forests end up as woodchips earning about $10/ tonne for the people of Tasmania. The trees are publicly owned but one company makes the profits: Gunns Ltd. Gunns’ slaughter of Tasmania’s forests is occurring with the support of the Tasmanian Labor Government and the Liberal opposition.
This issue hit the national political agenda following lengthy pieces in the Bulletin and on Four Corners. These coincided with Greenpeace direct action, a new tree-sit and a protest rally in Hobart (this looks like a very successful PR campaign). There have been a number of criticisms of the Four Corners report (particularly from Democrat Greg Barnes). There was use of emotive language and the reporter looked unprofessional when she didn’t use simple evidence (e.g. quotes from the relevant legislation!) to back up claims that forestry in Tasmania is exempt from Commonwealth environmental legislation. (It is – have a look at section 38 of the EPBC Act). The Bulletin article, ‘Rape of Tasmania’ will be on the CEC website soon
It was the first time I’d seen the then deputy premier (now premier) Paul Lennon. He came across as a thug – not a good public face for the ALP to show the rest of Australia (should help a few people to decide to stay with The Greens!). Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan, on the other hand, looked logical and sensible when arguing that Gunns should pay for its water and that Forestry Tasmania should not be exempt from FOI (but remember he was the homophobe who constructed a web of lies in an attempt to remove Justice Kirby).
Since November, a group of activists has been perched 65m up a tree in the Styx Valley to focus attention on this stupidity. Read their stories on greenpeace.org/tasmania . The Franklin dam campaign of 20 years ago showed that great public pressure can change the priorities of government. Unfortunately, Tasmanian wilderness is still under threat. Recently the Tasmanian government announced plans to log deep in the heart of Australia’s largest temperate rainforest - the Tarkine. Over the next few years some of the world’s most special places will be destroyed forever if we do not take responsibility to ensure these places are preserved. Contact the Wilderness Society or Greenpeace to help.
Recently, forest activists from South East Forest Rescue toured their Tassie roadshow through Grafton. The CEC donated $200 and organised a stall in Shoppingworld raising money and awareness. There were only positive responses to the stall, which showed videos of the Tarkine, Channel 9's Sunday and ABC's Four Corners reports on Tasmanian forestry operations. The stall also handed out information brochures and letter-writing kits and sold Tarkine Tshirts, calendars and books (now available at the CEC, along with brochures and videos to watch/borrow.). The media attention is building the campaign even more quickly than the Franklin dam protests of 20 years ago and now is the time to send handwritten letters to politicians so they can't ignore the destruction.
What can you do?
TASSIE : Get out the pens and paper - hand-written letters required!!!! Tell the pollies if you’re concerned about logging in Tasmania's Tarkine and other high conservation value forests. Here are some dot points in addition to the info on the previous page:
* Forestry Tasmania are exempt from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, and the Freedom of Information Act.
*Over 5.2 million tonnes of woodchips were exported from Tasmania last financial year, more than all other states in Australia combined.
*A newspoll survey in January 2004 showed that 85.4% of Australians support the Federal Government protecting Tasmania's remaining old-growth forests from woodchipping.
Tarkine:
Weld:
Blue Tier:
Styx:
Addresses (as of 10th February, 2004)
|
John Howard MP Prime Minister Parliament House Canberra 2600 |
Jeremy Rockcliff MHA Tasmanian Shadow Minister for Forests Parliament House Hobart 7000 |
|
Warren Truss MP Liberal Minister for Forests Parliament House Canberra 2600 |
Rene Hidding MHA Tasmanian Liberal (Opposition Leader) Parliament House Hobart 7000 |
|
Mark Latham MP Labor Party Leader Parliament House Canberra 2600 |
The Attorney General, Judy Jackson Tasmanian Minister overseeing environmental matters 10th Floor, 10 Murray Street Hobart 7000 |
|
Joel Fitzgibbon MP Labor Shadow Minister for Forests Parliament House Canberra 2600 |
Paul Lennon Tasmanian Labor Party Premier of Tasmania GPO Box 123 Hobart 7001 |