The state government has voiced concerns over lobbying efforts aimed at stopping mining in the Tarkine forest, and has called on the Albanese Government to rule out intervening to list the area as a heritage site.
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Minister for Resources Felix Ellis said mining, forestry and environmentalism had co-existed in the Tarkine for generations, and he this week called on the Federal Government to "rule out locking up" the area.
"These industries support more 8,000 jobs in North West Tasmania and contribute $3.5 billion to Tasmania's economy overall," he said.
"Additional lock ups would be a gut punch to timber communities who are finally getting back on their feet."
Scott Jordan, Tarkine manager at the Bob Brown Foundation, confirmed that a heritage listing for the forest in order to stop mining and forestry activity there was a priority for conservationists.
"There's a power under the Act that allows that, if there's an immediate threat, they can use the emergency powers in the EPBC Act to put a 12-month emergency national heritage listing in place while the National Heritage Council does its assessment," he said.
He said that in the case of the Tarkine, the NHC had already recommended heritage listing status.
Mr Ellis said listing the Tarkine as a heritage area would devastate communities in the North-West, and that 50 per cent of the state was already "locked up".
"At the last election Prime Minister Anthony Albanese promised to not shut down the native forest industry in Tasmania. I call on the Albanese Federal Government to rule out locking up the Tarkine," Mr Ellis said.
A spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said the department was not aware of any "recent contact between the Australian and Tasmanian governments on the possibility of World Heritage listing for takayna / Tarkine".
The spokesperson said that the last representation received on the matter from the Bob Brown Foundation was in November last year.
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