Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

The intergovernmental agreement does provide significant benefits for Tasmania. It goes on to create assistance for workers and assistance for industry. If you look more broadly at the issues that surround Tasmania and Tasmanian forestry, it is important to consider the substantive issues. In line with the retirement of Gunns's native forest contracts, the Australian government has also agreed to provide up to $45 million in assistance for voluntary exits from public native forest operations affected by harvest, haulage and silviculture contracts.

In addition to that, the Gillard government supports—unlike, it seems, those opposite—long-term sustainable investment in rural and regional Australia, including productive native forests in the plantation sector. This diversity and balance is important to the Australian forest industry. Over the last four years the government has delivered on its commitments to the Australian forest industry, which those opposite sometimes miss out on.