Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) Australia's native forests are under threat – more than 12.6 million hectares were burnt and over 3 billion animals killed during the 2019-20 summer – and logging has restarted in and near forests burnt in the fires,

  (ii) campaigners around the country are protesting to protect Australia's native forests, including:

(A) in the Wentworth Hills in Tasmania's Central Highlands,

(B) in the Tarkine, protecting Australia's largest temperate rainforest,

(C) on the Errinundra Plateau in East Gippsland,

(D) in Olney Forest, New South Wales, and

(E) in Western Australia's South West forests,

  (iii) legal challenges have shown that regional forest agreements (RFA) are unsustainable, with the win for the Friends of Leadbeater's Possum in Victoria, and the Bob Brown Foundation's legal case showing that RFAs do not have to protect threatened wildlife, and

  (iv) the Samuel review noted that 'environmental considerations under the RFA Act are weaker than those imposed elsewhere...and do not align with the assessment of significant impacts on MNES required by the EPBC Act…', and that 'Commonwealth oversight of environmental protections under RFAs is insufficient…'; and

(b) calls on the Government to end native forest logging, and provide a just transition for forestry workers including in the plantation timber industry.

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

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

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

Native forestry is here to stay, and our government backs it. It's an inconvenient truth for the Greens, but so too did the Federal Court, which found the Tasmanian regional forestry agreement to be valid, and it supports our view that RFAs are the best way to manage our native forest industry. It is important to note the Greens' hypocrisy, when Senator Rice herself said in this place, 'We should celebrate the plantation based industry,' and when the Greens party's platform is to move to 100 per cent plantation source timber. While the way this motion is worded is clumsy in asking for a plan to transition workers out of the plantation timber industry, the Greens can't have it both ways.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question is that motion No. 1030 be agreed to.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senators, we have another couple of matters to deal with. Senator Rice.

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can I clarify the intent of the motion. It should have said, 'Into the—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is not granted, Senator Rice, please resume your seat.