Mark Baker (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to discuss the forestry industry, one of the most important and critical issues in Tasmania at the time of the last federal election. As recent events in Tasmania have testified, this matter remains a critical concern. Forestry and associated processing is Tasmania’s second-largest economic sector in both turnover and industry value adding. The industry contributes about $1 billion each year to the Tasmanian economy. Wood and paper product manufacturing alone accounts for over 20 per cent of total manufacturing employment, 25 per cent of total manufacturing wages and salaries and 24 per cent of total industry turnover. In 2003-04, total Tasmanian forest fibre production was over 23 per cent of national production, valued at $381 million. This figure represents an increase of 65 per cent in value since 1997-98. Since 1997 around $1.4 billion has been invested in the industry.

Supported by other key national policy initiatives, such as the National Forest Policy Statement, the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement has supported and boosted industry and employment in the forestry sector by providing both resource security and a policy climate which has fostered increased investment and employment opportunities. Importantly, all of Tasmania’s public forests and the majority of its private forests are now certified under the Australian Forestry Standard, a certification system based upon ISO 14001:1996 and the Montreal process and compatible with other certification schemes. And yet the member for Kingsford Smith, with his well-known contradictory views on the whole spectrum of environmental issues, someone aspiring to be a government minister, has described the negotiated regional forest agreements as:

... a completely flawed and discredited process initiated by Government.

The member is also on record as saying:

The forest industry is not willing to act in a responsible manner. It is attempting to provoke and confront conservationists over the issue.

The member has also previously stated that:

All old growth and high conservation value forests across Australia should be immediately protected.

How out of touch is the member for Kingsford Smith? At the risk of my repeating material that has been reported in this chamber before, let us consider the following facts. Under the Howard government, 22.5 million hectares of forest is now conserved Australia wide. Over half of that amount, or more than 11 million hectares, has been conserved in the last 11 years. In Tasmania, one million hectares of old-growth forest is protected from harvesting. Let me repeat that: one million hectares of old-growth forest is protected from harvesting. That accounts for over 100 million trees. That is 78 per cent of the state’s total old-growth forests. Of the 22 per cent that is annually available for logging, only one per cent is harvested. Forty-five per cent of Tasmania’s forests of all types, and some 42 per cent of Tasmania’s landmass, are reserved. Tasmania’s record stands as one of the best in the world.

I return to the member for Kingsford Smith for a moment. In 2004 he said:

Tasmania has a lot to lose thanks to logging gone mad. The state’s flourishing tourism industry is threatened by consumer reaction to carnage in the forests.

He is out of touch. This package was supported by the CFMEU at the last election.

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