Tasmania’s forests could be managed and harvested by interstate or overseas companies, if the government’s plan to open locked up forests for logging goes ahead.
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The government will introduce a bill to parliament this week aimed at opening up 356,000 hectares of forests to logging that were locked up as part of the peace deal. However, Forestry Tasmania would not harvest those contentious areas in an attempt to protect its FSC certification bid.
Resources Minister Guy Barnett said on Sunday there were no requirements for potential leaseholders of the land, other than meeting the Forest Practices Authority’s environmental guidelines.
That meant the government would not ensure Tasmanian companies would manage the land. Mr Barnett could not say how much money, if any, would actually stay in the state as a result of logging if an interstate or overseas company leased it.
“An application will need to come forward – an expression of interest, and the legislation makes it that there’s no requirements in any way, shape or form, other than that they must meet the requirements set down by the Forest Practices Authority to meet all the environmental guidelines.”
When asked how much logging those contentious areas would be worth to the Tasmanian economy if they went to offshore companies, he said that was a “matter to be decided in due course”.
“It’s a voluntary thing. All the environmental approvals must be kept and, of course, importantly jobs will be created here in Tasmania.
“Of course, our buy local policy will mean that Tasmanian companies will be prioritised and favoured for any work, provided they meet all necessary requirements.”
Mr Barnett did not say whether there were any companies currently interested in leasing those areas, during a visit to the Launceston General Hospital with Health Minister Michael Ferguson on Sunday.
“We’re making it available to the private sector to be used for production purposes. We know that the industry wants the resource here in Tasmania, and that’s where we’re going.”
The two ministers talked about ending the government’s annual $25 million subsidies to Forestry Tasmania, during the visit to the hospital.
“Today is about ending those subsidies and making that money available for health, for education, for other frontline services,” Mr Barnett said.
“The advice we’ve received from Forestry Tasmania made it very clear that one-quarter of all trees harvested were uneconomic. That is unacceptable.
“So we could cut back the allocation available to the industry and up to 700 jobs would be lost, or we could make more production forest available.”
