Your community, your voice.

Caitlin Jarvis
May 15 2017 - 12:00am
PROPPED UP: Anne Layton-Bennett, of Swan Bay, believes taxpayer subsidies have propped up the forestry industry for decades.
PROPPED UP: Anne Layton-Bennett, of Swan Bay, believes taxpayer subsidies have propped up the forestry industry for decades.

Forestry industry

For decades millions of taxpayer subsidies have kept forestry propped up - at the expense of properly funding our public services. The industry has never been either sustainable nor profitable. Minister Barnett’s jobs argument doesn’t stack up. Forestry has been shedding jobs for years, while automation is rapidly replacing those that still exist. Forestry employs barely two per cent of the workforce. Several international awards confirm Tasmania’s future lies with tourism. We are a must-see destination, due to our exceptional wilderness environment. As a result the Blue Derby bike trail is one example of a region undergoing an economic resurgence, an example that could so easily be replicated if the Hodgman government showed some vision, and the ability to recognise new employment and economic opportunities. 

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Caitlin Jarvis

Caitlin Jarvis

Senior Journalist

I have worked in the Tasmanian digital/print media for 11 years, spanning two newsrooms. I have developed a keen interest in agricultural, development and education news, as well as issues-based long-form journalism. Contact me at caitlin.jarvis@examiner.com.au

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