RFA stab in the heart of nature
FORESTRY
THE signing of the Regional Forest Agreement was not a “great day” for all the creatures that live in Tasmania’s forests. The RFA is exempt from the Commonwealth Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC), which was designed to protect Australia’s biodiversity. In other words, - the Tasmanian Government, under the guise of forestry, can legally kill vast numbers of native animals and drive species to extinction — and there is no legal mechanism to stop them.
There is one law — the EPBC — to protect biodiversity, and another law — the RFA — making it legal for government forestry operations to destroy biodiversity.
The vast majority of Tasmania’s biodiversity exists in oldgrowth forests and it is these same forests which, under the RFA, are targeted for clearfelling.
Given the global situation regarding biodiversity loss, climate, deforestation, air quality, water quality, soil destruction, overpopulation and pollution, prudence would dictate that the continuous destruction of nature ought to cease.
Regardless of the ideology of economic rationalism, the indisputable fact is that nature, the biosphere, the Earth, is the only life-support system we have, and ought to be treated as such. tinue to be protected. I guess neither has stood beside the Bass Highway of late and witnessed endless logging trucks carrying oldgrowth native forest logs for chipping.
How do I know they are oldgrowth? Because I have seen the fresh scars in the coupes of the Tarkine, from where they were taken, and because I can tell the difference between plantation and gnarly oldgrowth logs. Shame on you politicians, who should know better. Our forests are not a resource for short-term exploitation. They are a treasure for the future. in Tasmania. The “unlock forests” blurb in their election campaign was a cynical vote-getter, a catchphrase to attract disillusioned forestry workers who, after decades of political hype and behind-the scenes subsidies had come to terms with, and agreed with, the development of a sustainable plantation-based industry.
Even rebadging issues with motherhood descriptions like “Future Potential Production Forest” and “Sustainable Wood Industry” cannot hide the fact that the most expert forestry managers and workers, along with sensible political parties, have all determined that plantation timber is the future.
I do not believe this is a “Greens with Labor” issue as claimed by Minister Barnett. It is a battle between people who can see the sense behind sustainable plantation-based forestry for their greatgrandchildren and beyond, and another small group mired in quick-profit ideology and who are prepared to split the Tasmanian community yet again for short-term political gain.
Sanity illustrated
I DON’T believe it, the big US magazine Sports Illustrated has bucked the trend of fashion companies using stick models and have published their famous annual swimsuit edition using normal-size models and they look beautiful.
Fed up over feed-in
HOW much solar energy from solar panels is going into TasNetworks’ grid. Solar panel owners are being ripped off by TasNetworks. Some get only 6c per unit into the grid, yet TasNetworks sells it to consumers for 28c.
Hands off TasWater
WHY can’t Peter Gutwein give us a straight answer. Why can’t the Government fund the sewerage and water works? They are going to anyway. Why is he determined to grab ratepayer assets instead of funding these works through TasWater, who have the plans and expertise to do this?