Profit versus ideology
Time warp
AS I read the column by Ms Davis, I found myself checking for a date, thinking it might be an historical reprint of a piece written in the 1980s. No anti-conservation cliche was omitted, and it was disturbing to find that this was actually a current opinion piece. It took no account of the new reality of climate change, or the physics of water attraction and catchment, or biodiversity values in forests, or the fact the woodchip industry was the culprit in closures of family sawmills and wastage of thousands of tonnes of specialty timbers, not conservationists.
There are long-term jobs in renewable energy, sensible use of timber resources, and other sustainable industries if only the state and federal governments would stop pandering to their donors at the expense of the state, the country and the planet. The eco-tourism derided by Ms Davis employs more Tasmanians than were employed in clearfelling valuable native forests for little or no return to the state.
Perhaps she could instead address the impending loss of 15,000 Australian jobs in renewables that will occur if Mr Turnbull’s backward energy policy is allowed to pass, instead of writing as if Tasmania and Australia are caught in a time warp, circa 1952.
Urban naysayers
JAN Davis asserts that Tasmanians are NIMBYists — a Not-In-My-Back-Yard urban-class that opposes new development like the ecotourism resort on the East Coast or Mt Wellington cable car.
But not all Tasmanians are NIMBYists. Another way to have your say themercury.com.au readers have another way to have their say. It’s free to use, just register and have your say. For more details and to register, visit the website. JAN Davis demonstrates little knowledge of rational economics. Industry is profitdriven, forestry is not. It is ideological. It has never returned a profit and is propped up by government subsidies. Rightfully, Tasmanians should be paid royalties for the use of the forest. As for tourism, it has been the single biggest factor in driving the capitalisation of real estate which in turn has improved Tasmania’s bottom line.
Three cheers
A WHALE was seen breaching in Big Roaring Bay near Dover on Friday morning, clearly saying thanks for not proceeding with the woodchip export facility.