Ms O’CONNOR – Yes. Can you confirm, Treasurer, that the $2 million each year allocated to Sustainable Timbers Tasmania – what precisely is that to fund? That’s a community service obligation payment. What’s the government’s understanding of how it helps Sustainable Timber Tasmania, AKA Forestry Tasmania, operate?
Mr ABETZ – That, I suspect, you should be asking under business, industry and resources. Of course, as Treasurer, I am a shareholder minister as well, but the exact detail ‑- I think firefighting might be one of those community service obligations. Just recently I had a bit of a brief from the SES. They were very complimentary of how Sustainable Timber Tasmania personnel cooperated and worked in with a volunteer fire brigade and the professional fire brigade –
Ms O’CONNOR – And Parks.
Mr ABETZ – And Parks. They are an integral part of our firefighting capacity.
Ms O’CONNOR – We can definitely agree on that, as they stand at the moment –
Mr ABETZ – I will note that as happening at 2.50 p.m.
Ms O’CONNOR – but they are, because they’re major land manager and have responsibilities. Given that Forestry Tasmania is a loss-making venture, are there any considerations being given to further asset sales of Forestry Tasmania properties such as we saw, for example, in 2015-16 where the plantation resource was sold on about 90,000 hectares, I think?
Mr ABETZ – I would disagree with you in relation to STT being a loss-making venture. Parking that, I’m not sure –
Ms O’CONNOR – Definitely not a profit-making venture.
CHAIR – I don’t think this fits under this line item. This is the firefighting provision. That’s a matter for the resource’s portfolio.
Ms O’CONNOR – The sustainability of Sustainable Timber Tasmania –
Mr ABETZ – And you will have the official –
CHAIR – This is the CSO. We will limit our questions to that because [inaudible] questions. Other questions can be asked under the resource’s portfolio.
Ms O’CONNOR – Well, I think asset sales are relevant to this –
CHAIR – This is not relevant to this line item. No, I will move on. It’s not relevant to this line item. There are other avenues to ask those questions.
Ms O’CONNOR – I think there would be a public interest in knowing what the government’s position is on asset sales for FT.
Do you think the State Fire Commission is adequately funded to deal with – given that this is a static amount, so there’s no CPI increment for the State Fire Commission’s allocation. Do you think that is adequate, given that we’re going to face more intense and frequent bushfires that threaten both communities, the economy and, of course, the natural environment?
Mr ABETZ – That would be a question for minister Ellis.
Ms O’CONNOR – This is an allocation that’s been made through finance general based on the advice given to finance general by minister Ellis.
Mr ABETZ – They will be able to indicate to you how they will manage with that allocation.
Ms O’CONNOR – The final question on this – it is connected all in here – do you, as Treasurer, accept that in the decade or two ahead there will need to be increased allocation to our land managers and emergency services in order to properly be able to protect communities, the environment and the economy from accelerating global heating?
Mr ABETZ – From the threat of fires, that is clearly something that increases as housing and community moves out. There are certain areas where houses have been built. One wonders what may happen in the event of a 1967-type bushfire. I am very mindful of that having lived through it.
Ms O’CONNOR – Or worse, potentially. Particularly for the city of Hobart. I don’t know if you’ve spoken to Professor David Bowman but it’s high-risk.
Mr ABETZ – The City of Hobart, but I would have thought everywhere.
Ms O’CONNOR – Yes, and the capital.
Mr ABETZ – You’re the member for Hobart looking after Hobart. Good on you, but I think there are other areas in Tasmania as well.
Ms O’CONNOR – I didn’t say that there weren’t, but Hobart is regarded scientifically as a very high-risk city to bushfire.
Mr ABETZ – It’s because we are surrounded by so much bush.
Ms O’CONNOR – Also it’s because climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of these fires, on the evidence.
Mr ABETZ – That’s a comment.
Ms O’CONNOR – It’s not a comment. It’s a fact.
