Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

As I mentioned earlier—and as is well known publicly—the coalition promised the Australian electorate that they would implement legislation to prohibit the trade and processing of illegally harvested timber and timber products. Now they are being given the opportunity to join with us in a bipartisan fashion to implement one of their own policies. But, having been given that opportunity, they—on very hollow and shallow grounds—have moved an amendment to delay the commencement of the legislation by some three years. The trade in illegally logged materials would continue if the coalition's amendment were accepted.

We will not accept this amendment. Using estimates published by, for example, the World Bank a further 2,365 square kilometres of forest will be harvested illegally with the approval of the Australian parliament if we agree to this amendment—nearly 2,500 square kilometres of forest wiped out, illegally logged. Looking at the data in the explanatory memorandum for the bill, the coalition's amendments will give the green light to a further $180 billion—

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