THE state government has tabled Forestry Tasmania's new ministerial charter, but the Greens say it's setting the company up to fail. The charter calls for the company to continue working towards Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, be financially self-sustaining and support woodchip exports. The company auditing Forestry Tasmania in its bid to receive FSC certification is finalising its report. Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said the company still had a lot of work to do before it would earn FSC status. "As long as Forestry Tasmania is logging native forest at an unsustainable level and impacting on threatened species like the swift parrot, it will struggle to achieve FSC," she said. "While the government has directed Forestry Tasmania to sell its plantation assets, the market will be looking for sustainably grown and harvested products that it will no longer have to offer." Ms O'Connor said the charter enabled the logging company to go further into debt. Resources Minister Paul Harriss said it was a "surprise to no one" that the Greens were "against a sustainable Forestry Tasmania". "The Greens have no credibility when it comes to Forestry Tasmania," he said. "When Cassy O'Connor was a cabinet minister in government, she personally supported pumping $30 million of taxpayer money into Forestry Tasmania to prop it up. "The government has been very clear that it strongly supports Forestry Tasmania's efforts to achieve FSC certification in response to increasing market and consumer demand for FSC-certified wood products." Forestry Tasmania recorded a debt of $43 million last financial year.
THE state government has tabled Forestry Tasmania's new ministerial charter, but the Greens say it's setting the company up to fail.
The charter calls for the company to continue working towards Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification, be financially self-sustaining and support woodchip exports.
The company auditing Forestry Tasmania in its bid to receive FSC certification is finalising its report.
Greens leader Cassy O'Connor said the company still had a lot of work to do before it would earn FSC status.
"As long as Forestry Tasmania is logging native forest at an unsustainable level and impacting on threatened species like the swift parrot, it will struggle to achieve FSC," she said.
"While the government has directed Forestry Tasmania to sell its plantation assets, the market will be looking for sustainably grown and harvested products that it will no longer have to offer."
Ms O'Connor said the charter enabled the logging company to go further into debt.
Resources Minister Paul Harriss said it was a "surprise to no one" that the Greens were "against a sustainable Forestry Tasmania".
"The Greens have no credibility when it comes to Forestry Tasmania," he said.
"When Cassy O'Connor was a cabinet minister in government, she personally supported pumping $30 million of taxpayer money into Forestry Tasmania to prop it up.
"The government has been very clear that it strongly supports Forestry Tasmania's efforts to achieve FSC certification in response to increasing market and consumer demand for FSC-certified wood products."
Forestry Tasmania recorded a debt of $43 million last financial year.
