Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I rise to speak on the Regional Forest Agreement between the Commonwealth and New South Wales: Final Report on Progress with Implementation of New South Wales Regional Forest Agreements. The Senate would be aware that the governments of both persuasions—Liberal and Labor, state and federal—got together to deal with the vexed issue of forests around the nation. One thing that is often forgotten in relation to the discussion of our usage of our forests is that these regional forest agreements were based on robust scientific research that determined the genuine values of the various forest types and the appropriate approach in relation to maintenance of those forest types, whilst also recognising that, as part of nature, humans do have the right to harvest our forests. But what we have got to do is harvest them in a responsible and sustainable manner. That is what the regional forest agreements did.

For those that seek to condemn the regional forest agreements I simply remind them that wood products are in fact a carbon sink. The forestry sector in this country is the only industrial sector that consumes more CO2 that it actually produces. In other words, this is the only industry in Australia that is cleaning up the atmosphere, yet we have this bizarre situation of the Australian Greens in particular seeking to attack the forest industry at every opportunity. The fact that that is wearing a bit thin with the electorate is now becoming quite obvious. For the forthcoming state election in my home state of Tasmania the Greens have circulated a policy document to the electorate that has five major points on it, the fifth one being forestry. In his election speech the Greens leader did not touch on forestry or the pulp mill, I am informed.

Clearly, it is fading off their agenda, and the reason is the Australian people are a wake-up to the fact that if they use wood products for their housing and packaging they are in fact using carbon sinks instead of carbon-producing products such as aluminium, plastics, steel, cement and concrete—all non-renewable. The great thing about forestry is that every tree that is harvested can be replaced and can be regrown, and the cycle of nature continues. You cannot do that with concrete. You cannot do that with aluminium. You cannot do that with polystyrene or plastics for packaging. But you can do that with wood products.

That is why these regional forest agreements are so very important, because they provide the sensible balance that the Australian people are seeking as to their forests. They do want some protected, but they also see the good sense in harvesting them in a sustainable way and in a way that ensures the sustainability and enjoyment of those forests for future generations. Indeed, in my home state of Tasmania we have got over 40 per cent of the state locked up, so when people hear the mantra of the Australian Greens they can rest assured that our forests are sustainably managed, there is a lot of forest in reserve and—this is the good news—we are using a genuinely Australian grown renewable product that will be available for generations to come, unlike all those other materials that are non-renewable, are often toxic and, of course, leave a huge carbon footprint. I recommend the report to the Senate. I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted; debate adjourned