Jonathon Duniam (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries) Share this | Hansard source

I ask that Senators Ciccone, Urquhart, Bilyk, Brown, Polley and Lambie have their names added to the motion. I, and also on behalf of Senators Abetz, Askew, Bilyk, Brown, Chandler, Ciccone, Colbeck, Lambie, McKenzie, Polley and Urquhart, move:

That the Senate—

(a)   notes that the recent decision of the Full Federal Court of Australia has now provided a clear determination on the validity of the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement (RFA);

(b)   further notes the judgement was a big win for Australia's forest industry and supports the long-held position of this Government, the state of Tasmania and industry that RFAs remain the best way of balancing environmental, economic and social demands for our native forests;

(c)   acknowledges that the Australian forest industry uses world-class sustainable forest management practices and supports the employment of more than 52,000 hardworking Australians making it an industry that deserves to be celebrated;

(d)   recognises native forestry has a strong future in Australia, and notes that Neville Smith Forest Products this month announced 40 new Tasmanian jobs driven by demand for sustainably produced native forest products;

(e)   condemns the Bob Brown Foundation for their consistent use of the Australian courts to decimate the livelihoods of working Australians; and

(f)   calls on the Bob Brown Foundation and the Australian Greens to accept the decision of the court in what they branded 'the Great Forest Case' and heed Mr Brown's own advice: 'It is time we moved on'.