A contract has been awarded to Battery Point company Timmins Ray to consult and co-ordinate a strategic growth plan for the forestry industry.

The firm, which specialises in crisis management and stakeholder engagement, is headed by former political journalist and later spin doctor Greg Ray.

Opposition Leader Bryan Green said Resources Minister Paul Harriss should explain why the PR work couldn’t be done by the government or a department.

‘‘The embattled minister is clearly skirting these responsibilities because he isn’t up to the job,’’ Mr Green said.

‘‘It is clear Mr Harriss is more interested in political spin than the best interests of the industry.’’

Mr Green also had a swipe at the government for contracting out the management of its forestry hardship package to a private accounting firm.

‘‘Mr Harriss is light on for solutions and genuine support for the industry and heavy on for expensive stunts and PR exercises,’’ he said.

But Mr Harriss said it was all a bit rich coming from Mr Green.

‘‘As minister, Mr Green outsourced forest policy to the Greens and environmental non-government organisations, and was happy to throw away millions of dollars in public funding to effectively shut down the industry,’’ Mr Harriss said.

‘‘He has a hide to now complain about us working with industry to develop a growth plan for forestry.’’

Mr Harriss said the hardship fund management was outsourced to ensure appropriate probity was in place, and was carefully developed using legal advice.

‘‘It is good and proper that this program should be administered robustly and at arm’s length to government,’’ he said.

The cost of the accounting firm won’t be taken out of the $1million hardship fund.

The forestry plan has been developed by the Ministerial Advisory Council, from which chairwoman Sue Smith resigned earlier this year following comments about Forestry Tasmania.