A SENIOR government advisor who suggested Forestry Tasmania should be dismantled has quit. Sue Smith, deputy chair of the ministerial council on forestry, last month said the struggling government-owned business should be privatised and its assets sold off. ''It's not just the markets around the world that cause these problems with forestry,'' she said at the time. ''It's the continued political interference that we see at state and federal level at the whim of parties who see that it might be something that's favourable at that time.'' A media and political storm erupted in the wake of her comments. But just 48 hours later, Resources Minister Paul Harriss insisted Mrs Smith had changed her mind. However, the views Mrs Smith first made public have today been cited as the reason for her resignation. ''Mrs Smith has advised me that she believes her public position on forestry issues has become detrimental to the Council's work, and has therefore submitted her resignation,'' Mr Harriss said in a statement this morning. ''I have spoken to Sue and accepted her resignation with genuine regret, and a sincere expression of thanks for her very significant contribution to the Council's formative stages.'' Mrs Smith said she wanted to give the remaining ministerial council members some clear air. ''Unfortunately my private views and recent public comments about Forestry Tasmania have proved a distraction to the important work of the council,'' she said. Mr Harriss said the government would consider a new deputy chair for the council ''in due course''.
A SENIOR government advisor who suggested Forestry Tasmania should be dismantled has quit.
Sue Smith, deputy chair of the ministerial council on forestry, last month said the struggling government-owned business should be privatised and its assets sold off.
''It's not just the markets around the world that cause these problems with forestry,'' she said at the time.
''It's the continued political interference that we see at state and federal level at the whim of parties who see that it might be something that's favourable at that time.''
A media and political storm erupted in the wake of her comments.
But just 48 hours later, Resources Minister Paul Harriss insisted Mrs Smith had changed her mind.
However, the views Mrs Smith first made public have today been cited as the reason for her resignation.
''Mrs Smith has advised me that she believes her public position on forestry issues has become detrimental to the Council's work, and has therefore submitted her resignation,'' Mr Harriss said in a statement this morning.
''I have spoken to Sue and accepted her resignation with genuine regret, and a sincere expression of thanks for her very significant contribution to the Council's formative stages.''
Mrs Smith said she wanted to give the remaining ministerial council members some clear air.
''Unfortunately my private views and recent public comments about Forestry Tasmania have proved a distraction to the important work of the council,'' she said.
Mr Harriss said the government would consider a new deputy chair for the council ''in due course''.
