Peg Putt.
THE LEGISLATIVE Council has made Tasmania's market position worse by delaying the forest peace deal, Markets for Change chief executive Pegg Putt has said.
Ms Putt told a parliamentary inquiry into the Tasmanian Forests Agreement Bill that Japanese buyers would not purchase Tasmanian forest products until the legislation supporting the peace deal was finalised.
``By not passing the legislation last year the Legislative Council has already created further market uncertainty. It's a fact,'' Ms Putt said.
Ms Putt said continued logging in areas included for nomination in the extended South West World Heritage area and other areas earmarked for reserves was ``unacceptable, from the market's point of view.''
``What they are getting is wood products that comes from destroying areas that have been recognised as of universal significance,'' she said.
``That's as bad as it gets.''
Ms Putt told Mersey MLC Mike Gaffney that she could not guarantee her support for the Bill because she did not know what amendments the Legislative Council might make.
She said in its current form the Bill degraded the Forest Practices Act, and said that Act should be upgraded to include new biodiversity provisions.
Read more in The Examiner tomorrow.