Dr WOODRUFF question to MINISTER for BUSINESS, INDUSTRY and RESOURCES, Mr ABETZ
The Greens understand you have written to Minister Duigan requesting that 27 parcels of future potential production forests be made available for logging. Communities across the state are anxious that these high conservation forests that they believed were preserved for all time will be destroyed by you and your government.
This is public land and crucial habitat. These are forests the industry agreed to have set aside. Your action will inflame an already incendiary situation and marks a return to large‑scale conflict in our forests. Can you confirm that you have written to Minister Duigan? Will you release the maps that show where these parcels of land are and tell Tasmanians exactly how much public land you are planning to log and burn?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, every Tasmanian knows that under the 2030 Strong Plan there was a policy that we make available more wood supply for the Tasmanian community and for the workers within the Tasmanian forest sector. The honourable Leader of the Greens refers to high conservation value in all the 27 areas. I remind the House that the vast majority of this land is regrowth forest.
When the Leader of the Greens tells the Tasmanian people that this is high conservation, it tells us that we do forestry in Tasmania like nowhere else in the world. When the regrowth comes, you have the Greens saying this is of high conservation value. This is how good we do forestry. That is why, on a regular basis, I rhetorically ask the Greens, ‘Tell me, where do they do forestry better than they do in Tasmania?’
The SPEAKER – I will hear a point of order from the Leader of the Greens.
Dr WOODRUFF – Standing Order 45, relevance. The question was: can you release the maps that show the public where this land is and tell us what the hectares are of land that will be logged and burned?
The SPEAKER – The minister has one minute and 30 seconds to go. I ask that he come to the question.
Mr ABETZ – There was an exceptionally long preamble to the question by the Leader of the Greens, and I am seeking to debunk the myths in the preamble, which then takes away from the thrust of the question. I fully understand the point of order raised because it is an inconvenient truth for the Leader of the Greens to hear about.
Dr Woodruff – Is it true? Are you doing it? How many parcels of land?
The SPEAKER – Leader of the Greens, we will not get to an answer if you interrupt.
Mr ABETZ – There are 27 parcels that were indicated in the wood bank. I love writing letters to my friend and colleague, minister Duigan, and we are in discussions as to how we can release this land.
Let us be very clear, to say that this area was to be locked away for all time is simply untrue. It was set aside for the possibility of this eventuality that it may well be used for harvesting. When we have already harvested the area and you have a huge amount of regrowth within that area, what I am seeking Sustainable Timbers Tasmania to do is to give me a good oversight of all the 27 areas and ascertain what can be achieved. At the end of the day, do we want to keep importing timber from Brazil or use our own resource?
The SPEAKER – The minister’s time has expired.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Dr WOODRUFF – A supplementary question, Speaker.
The SPEAKER – I will hear a supplementary question from the Greens.
Dr WOODRUFF – The minister confirmed that there are 27 parcels. Will he release the maps for the public of where they are and tell people what the hectarage is?
The SPEAKER – That was part of the original question. I understand that the minister said there was an ongoing process. Minister, can you add to that answer?
Mr ABETZ – In relation to the exact details and where they may or may not appear on the map, I will take that aspect on notice. As I understand it there was an area of about 40,000 hectares that was in this proposed wood bank. That was announced at the time, exactly where all those parcels of land are. Believe it or not, I do not have that in my back pocket and I will take that on notice.
The SPEAKER – The minister has indicated he will take that part on notice.
