A high-level Coalition split over forest policy was resolved only after Tony Abbott overruled his Environment Minister and ignored departmental advice. Source: The Australian
The Coalition went to the September 2013 election promising to rescind a swath of the recently extended Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and to halt all further forest protection.
It did so against the urging of key timber industry players, fearful that the policy would destroy their “peace deal” with conservation groups, spook key markets and jeopardise top-flight product certification. A
According to The Australian, federal departments responsible for forest policy, Environment and Agriculture, expressed serious concerns about the policy in the weeks after the Coalition formed government.
Officials from the two departments jointly drafted a letter for their ministers to send to the Prime Minister, urging him to suspend implementation of the forest policy for six months, pending a review.
The letter from Environment Minister Greg Hunt and Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce argued that this would allow them to “more fully examine the implications”, “consult more widely” and find a “measured and considered way” forward.
The letter reads: “In light of the complexity of the issues surrounding Tasmanian forestry, we have come to the view that it would be appropriate to have a six-month review of the Tasmanian forestry package.
That would enable us to consult more broadly with a wide range of stakeholders on our election commitments.
“In particular, it would enable us to more fully examine the implications of our commitments … (and) our capacity to negotiate successfully the third five-yearly review and extension of the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement.”
In an accompanying brief, Mr Joyce’s department warned that the policy could destroy the forest peace agreement and that this might make it harder to negotiate a new agreement, a federal-state deal guiding forestry.
“Any efforts to unwind this (peace deal) agreement will have implications for the government’s ability to successfully negotiate an extension to the Tasmanian RFA in a timely way,” Mr Joyce’s department warned.
The brief and letter prompted a revolt from Mr Joyce’s parliamentary secretary, Tasmanian senator Richard Colbeck, and other Tasmanian Liberal MPs, who demanded the policy be imple mented in full and at once. Senator Colbeck rejected the term “split” but confirmed that there were “conversations” after Mr Hunt wanted to halt imple \mentation of the policy for six months while it was reviewed.
“That was Greg Hunt’s view of the world; Greg wanted to do that,” Senator Colbeck said.
“Barnaby came to me with the note (the letter). The Tasmanians (Liberal MPs) wanted to stick with their policy.
“We had a conversation around it — myself, Greg, the Prime Minister, Barnaby, my Tasmanian colleagues.
“We (Tasmanian MPs) said we wanted to stick with our election commitment, which is what we did. The brief went back from whence it came.”
Ministers Hunt and Joyce sat on the letter for about a month, while the issue was debated, before returning it to their departments unsigned. It is understood Mr Abbott effectively overruled Mr Hunt and sided with the Tasmanians, confirming on December 19 that the policy would proceed “quickly” and directing Mr Hunt to write to the World Heritage Committee to seek the WHA rescission.
The decision destabilised the peace deal and embarrassed the government as the World Heri tage Committee rejected its bid to rescind 74,000ha of the WHA.
More recent documents suggest the dumping of the peace deal has delayed and complicated the long overdue RFA renewal process and Forestry Tasmania’s attempts to win Forest Stewardship Council Coalition splinters over timber policy accreditation.
Last October, Tasmanian Resources Minister Paul Harriss wrote to Senator Colbeck urging a delay in the RFA process because of concern it would lead to “tension among stakeholders” that might jeopardise a vital FSC audit. Ministers Hunt and Joyce and Mr Abbott declined to answer questions about the documents and apparent policy differences, instead referring The Weekend Australian to Senator Colbeck.
The Wilderness Society said the documents, obtained under Freedom of Information laws, showed Mr Abbott had made another disastrous “captain’s call”.
“The documents show that the two responsible ministers were having second thoughts about going through with the policy and that their departments were advising them against it,” said its state campaign manager Vica Bayley.
Senator Colbeck said there was no link between the stalled RFA process and the forest peace deal.
