Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak of some deceptive, dishonest and unethical advertisements that have been calling for the end of the native forest industry in this country based on the fact that 90 per cent of timber used in our economy today is out of plantation. This is not the reason to end native forestry. In fact, if you look at the real values that most people in our community are looking for in relation to the management of our environment, you will actually see a native forest based regime for our forestry system. I know the people in my community really value those important values. If you look at a native forest regime compared to a plantation forest regime, a native forest regime is better for biodiversity. It will store more carbon. In fact, a managed forest will store more carbon over time than a forest that is left to just fallow will. It's better for water quality; it uses no chemicals. Some people might call it organic forestry. And as a carpenter, someone who's worked with timber since I was young—

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Multicultural Engagement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A builder.

Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A carpenter and joiner. I know that native forest timbers will provide you with the best-quality timbers. They're all around us today here in this chamber. You won't make a piece of furniture that will become an antique one day out of plantation timber. You won't have high-quality veneers. You won't make exquisite musical instruments, and you won't make the types of boats that we celebrated at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival, in Hobart, last week. We need a balanced regime of forestry, one that looks after our environment but also retains all of the values from both native and plantation regimes. (Time expired)