Tasmanian Forest Cutting Prompts Calls for Judicial Inquiry

CANBERRA, Australia, September 2, 2004 (ENS) - The drumroll for protection of the old growth forests of Australia's island state, Tasmania, is spreading from conservation groups to the elected representatives. As election day approaches on October 9, Labor, Liberal, Democrat and Green members of the Australian Senate Plantation Forests Committee today called for a federal inquiry into forest practices in Tasmania.

This federal election will "decide the fate of Tasmania’s irreplaceable forests," said Wilderness Society spokesperson Vica Bayley. "Without federal government support, most of Tasmania’s unprotected old growth forests will be gone in the next five years.”

To ensure that future generations do not look back and regret the destruction of Tasmania's heritage and related long term tourism prospects, I am of the view that high value old growth forest clearing needs to cease immediately, said Senator Bill Heffernan of Sydney, who is a member of the ruling Liberal Party.

Logging slash where Tasmanian forest once stood. (Photo courtesy Spirit of Tasmania )

Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures for the year 2000, the latest available, show that Tasmania wood chipped 5.5 million metric tons for the year, the highest ever recorded. Figures for 2001, 2002 and 2003 are not unavailable as the ABS does not monitor these figures any more.

An average of 20,000 hectares of Tasmanian native forest are clearcut and burned each year, and Tasmania has one of the highest rates of land clearing in the developed world, with 80,000 hectares of native forest converted to plantations in the last seven years, according to a policy paper issued by the Wilderness Society and other conservation groups in August.

Eucalyptus regnans, Styx River Valley, Tasmania (Photo courtesy The Wilderness Society)

"It must surely be unacceptable in this day and age that we indiscriminately poison hundreds of thousands of native wildlife, birds, fish and other animals, through the continued use of and reliance on 1080 poison - pesticides and herbicides," said Senator Shayne Murphy of Tasmania.

And Senator Bob Brown of the Greens, who represents Tasmania, said, "Tasmania's high conservation-value forests should no longer be seen as a future pile of woodchips, nor its native wildlife as a fair target for 1080 poisoning to meet the commercial wishes of Gunns Pty Ltd. Tasmania's reputation is as much at stake as the wild forests themselves."

Nothing left standing after a clearcut in Tasmania (Photo courtesy Tarkine National Coalition)

"Australians who care about the environment will judge the Labor Party and Coalition on three basic benchmarks - Will they tackle climate change and slash greenhouse pollution? Will they restore the great Murray River to health? Will they save Tasmania's old growth forests?" said Don Henry executive director of the Australia Conservation Foundation (ACF).

The groups want the immediate protection from logging of 240,000 hectares of Tasmania's high conservation value and old-growth forests on public lands.

The ACF has urged both major parties to make the environment a central plank of their election platforms, saying the majority of Australians will support that plank.

"In recent polls two thirds of Australians have rated the environment as 'very important' in terms of how they would vote in a federal election, but people are wanting to see what the major parties will do," said Henry.

"The policy, recently released by the Wilderness Society, Australian Conservation Foundation, Greenpeace offers a win-win situation for forest protection and job creation," said Wilderness Society spokesperson Vica Bayley.

Geoff Law of the Wilderness Society tells a rally that less than 13 percent of Tasmanian old growth forest remains. (Photo courtesy Tasmanian Greens)

But the primary logging company, Gunns, says its natural forests "are sustainably managed, subject to environmental, economic and social objectives."

All resource used by the Gunns is sourced from areas designated as multiple use forests under the Tasmania Regional Forest Agreement, the company says. "All forests harvested are regenerated, and harvesting and regenerating native forests maintains biodiversity while generating economic value."

But the senators from four parties say a federal inquiry is needed into the destruction of Tasmanian forests.

Senator Brown said, "Evidence of Tasmania's forest mismanagement, including large-scale clearing of native forests for plantations, impacts on water, failure to enforce the Code of Forest Practices and the impacts of chemical use convinced Senators that a federal inquiry was essential. The Committee wants 'full cooperation' by federal and state governments or else an inquiry with 'more compelling and drastic powers."

"The Greens say the inquiry must have judicial power so that witnesses can be compelled to give evidence."

In addition, the Greens are seeking abolition of the special tax concessions which are driving plantation establishment and a wood glut. They want action to ensure that private sector investment in hardwood plantations is not commercially undermined by state government subsidies on chiplogs from native forests.

And they want Commonwealth action to bring Tasmania into line with other jurisdictions by prohibiting broad-scale clearing of native vegetation for plantation establishment.

"This inquiry outcome vindicates the courage of former Tasmanian forest auditor, Mr. Bill Manning, who gave damning evidence of malpractice in Tasmania's forest management," said Senator Brown.