Industry rejoices, Greens see red
THE Federal Court decision in “The Great Forest Case” has been welcomed by the industry, Liberal and Labor politicians – but condemned by the Greens.
Tasmanian Forest Products Association CEO Nick Steel said the result was a boost for the industry.
“The decision has really assisted the industry in taking a big sigh of relief. It has demonstrated all along that what we knew: that we have a strong and robust forest practice system, which includes the Regional Forest Agreement,” he said.
Sustainable Timber Tasmania’s chair Rob de Fegely and CEO Steve Whiteley issued a joint statement welcoming the decision.
“We regard this as a strong vindication of Sustainable Timber Tasmania confidence of the Regional Forest Agreement and Tasmania’s world-class Forest Practices System in providing protection for threatened species and other important forest and land values while enabling important forest production,” they said.
State Labor’s Shane Broad described the result as a win for the industry and for jobs.
“The Bob Brown Foundation’s increasingly desperate attempts to shut down the forest industry – aided and abetted by the hypocritical Greens – are shameful,” he said.
“They don’t care about the livelihood of families that depend on the forest industry and the court has rejected their arguments.”
State Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said the decision was “deeply disappointing”.
“It’s clear our federal environmental laws are too weak to protect threatened and endangered species. Today’s decision doesn’t give the Liberals or Forestry Tasmania a pass.
“Science is science. Habitat destruction caused by logging has reduced the swift parrot to an estimated 300 individual birds.”
Greens Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said the outcome was at odds with Professor Graeme Samuel’s recently-completed review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
“Our federal environment laws are completely broken and aren’t protecting our forests from destruction,” he said. “Tasmania’s global reputation hinges on its wild places, and particularly its forests. Our wild places are the envy of the world ... and yet Tasmania’s natural, carbonrich forests continue to be logged at an accelerating pace.”