FOREST DOUBLE DISSOLUTION TRIGGER

[Oquist, Ben (Sen B. Brown)]

Wednesday, 24 November 1999

FOREST DOUBLE DISSOLUTION TRIGGER

The Senate today insisted on amendments to the Howard Government's Regional
Forests Agreement (RFA) Bill, setting the stage for a double dissolution
trigger if the bill is again altered by the Senate next March.

The Senate insisted that the RFAs signed since March 1998 be subjected to
parliamentary scrutiny (the Tasmanian and East Gippsland and Central
Highlands RFAs were signed by the PM before that date).  

The Government has foreshadowed new regulations to cover the crisis by
extending export woodchip licensing from the current cut-off date of 31
December to 31 March, 2000.  This allows for the RFA bill to be debated
again next year.

'The Government is prepared to drop its unpopular RFAs which gift
Australia's unprotected forests to the woodchip companies for 20 years,
rather than have them scrutinised by parliament.  

"PM Howard has put himself between a log and a chainsaw on this issue - the
immovable corporates and the unstoppable public interest in forests.  The
forest turmoil in WA has come back to Canberra", said Senator Brown.

The RFA bill has seen one of the longest debates in the Senate's history.
But, even today, the government defended itself through secrecy rather than
argument: refusing to reveal its role in the Global Logging Agreement to be
discussed at the Seattle World Trade Organisation round next week.

More information:
Ben Oquist.  02 6277 3170,  0419 704 095


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Ben Oquist
Greens Senator Bob Brown
Parliament House, Canberra 2600
Australia
+61 2 62773170 ph
+61 2 62773185 fx
www.greens.org.au/bobbrown
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