THE forest peace deal is on life support as the Legislative Council considers whether amendments can salvage the legislation.
Present Sue Smith made a rare address to MLCs urging them to vote down the Tasmanian Forests Agreement Bill, after using her deciding vote to send then legislation into committee.
Ms Smith said the Bill was dishonestly named, and should be called the Bill for the removal of the timber industry from Tasmania's native forests.
She said the government had not followed proper process in drafting the legislation, and admonished fellow MLCs for imposing the artificial timeline of two months on its select committee process.
Ms Smith said the peace deal, if passed, would not be the final solution and may not even survive past the next Federal and State elections, if there is a change in government.
She said that rather than providing a dignified way out of the industry, exit grants had made welfare towns out of forestry towns and meant contractors who had received their grant moved into the plantation industry, putting plantation contractors out of business.
Ms Smith said the legislation was symptomatic of State and Federal governments who valued the environment over their people.
"The human environment has been plagued and overtaken by the natural environment in Tasmania," she said.
"The balance is out."
MLCs voted eight-six for the Bill after the second reading today, opening it up for amendments.
Leader of Government business Craig Farrell, said the government would table amendments to shore-up the specialty timber supply, and would change amendments to the process of forming proposed land reserves to deal with durability concerns.
Mr Farrell said the amendments had been agreed to by signatories.
He said the government would support amendments expected to be put forward by Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest, dealing with sovereign risk and requiring the Forest Practices Authority to check its decisions against a triple-bottom line.
