The independent risk assessment commissioned by the Wilderness Society Tasmania found signing new native forest logging contracts could expose the State to serious financial and legal risks.
The Greens and independent members of the crossbench signed a letter to the Premier, calling for contracts not to be signed while the implications of federal environmental changes are unknown.
Forestry Tasmania is currently in negotiations for new long-term forest supply contracts. The Wilderness Society’s independent legal and financial assessment is clear – there is very real sovereign risk in signing new contracts to continue native forest logging beyond next year.
Under the Liberals, the state’s finances are already cooked, Tasmanians can’t afford any more financial risks.
It’s still unclear the extent to which new the federal environment laws’ regulatory processes will alter the supply of native forests for logging. If contracts are signed before the implications on wood supplies become clear, it could require Tasmania to compensate industry if native forests aren’t able to be logged as promised.
Victoria has already had to pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to forest contractors after re-signing contracts that left them on the hook for compensation. The Liberals should learn from Victoria’s mistakes.
The biodiversity and natural values lost by logging Tasmania’s native forests speaks for itself. Public money shouldn’t follow suit.
With a year until contracts are due, and the impact of federal environment laws remaining uncertain, the Premier cannot rush into signing any new wood supply agreements.
