Moderation needed in forest debate

Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings has called for moderation and calm from all parties involved in the forest debate. She said compromise and goodwill were needed to allow for a resolution that ensures the industry can remain on a sustainable footing while delivering improved environmental outcomes.
“The divisions over our forests have hurt the Tasmanian community for far too long.
“The debate is highly emotive, particularly when it comes to people’s jobs, but I call on everyone involved to act responsibly and with moderation.
“I understand that people are passionate but it is concerning that in recent days we have seen a series of angry confrontations, threats and acts of sabotage.
“That sort of behaviour has no place in our community.”
Giddings also released and endorsed a resolution presented to her on Thursday by Ta Ann workers which reads:
“We, the workers at Ta Ann Tasmania, urge the Government and both houses of Parliament to do whatever is in your individual and collective powers to reach an agreement that resolves the ongoing disputes about our industry in Tasmania. We need to secure Tasmania’s jobs and the livelihoods that they provide for our families and communities.”
“I have great sympathy for the plight of forest workers and their families whose livelihoods are threatened by the changes that are currently taking place in the industry.
“The Ta Ann workers have my full support and I can assure them my Government will continue to do all it can to secure a sustainable future for them, their families and the communities in which they live.
“That is one of the reasons why Deputy Premier Bryan Green’s trade trip to Asia this week is important, and it also is why I am so determined to press on with the Tasmanian Forest Agreement.
“The agreement is not the cause of the changes taking place in the industry.
“It is a response to those changes and the challenges posed by Gunns’ withdrawal from native forestry, the high Australian dollar, and the loss of half of the jobs and many of the businesses involved in Tasmanian forestry over the last six years.
“Tearing up the IGA would mean abandoning struggling forest workers and denying regional communities $100 million over the next 15 years to create new jobs and boost local economies.
“I believe the agreement represents the best possible chance of managing the change that is occurring in the industry and delivering a brighter future for Tasmania’s regional communities.
“I again call on fringe environmental groups to cease their actions in local and international markets to allow the current process time and space to achieve a balanced outcome that provides a sustainable timber industry for the future as well as better conservation outcomes,” the Premier said.