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

I cannot even begin to respond to that, Madam President, and I shan't, because it's disorderly. But the point is: when we shut this industry down, what will we do to get the timber we need for the appearance grade products that we demand in this marketplace? We'll get it from places like the Congo Basin. You want to talk about crimes against nature? You want to talk about damage to the environment? That mob down there, forest science deniers, completely abandon fact and science when it comes to propositions like this. You know what? People of Melbourne and Sydney who want their beautiful coffee tables and lovely floorboards, do you know where it's coming from? You're still going to be able to buy it with a little stamp saying it's all okay, but it will be coming out of places like the Congo Basin.

This crew have made an industry out of destroying industries that are sustainable and based on science, all because they tap into the psyche that some people have, and that is that they don't like seeing clear-felled coupes. Forget the science behind it. Forget the facts. Forget the jobs and the economic activity it generates. Forget about all of that, because it doesn't matter.