Federal Investigation of Tasmanian Forest Industry One Step Close r

[Oquist, Ben (Sen B. Brown)]

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Thursday, 20 June 2002

Federal Investigation of Tasmanian Forest Industry One Step Closer 

An independent inquiry into the Tasmanian forest industry moved a step
closer today with the introduction into the Senate by Senator Bob Brown of
legislation to establish a Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry with the
powers of a Royal Commission to investigate the management, financial
performance, regulatory and legislative framework governing the Tasmanian
forest industry.

"Tasmanians are baffled and angered by the rapid escalation in export
woodchipping of Tasmania's magnificent native forests and the attendant
collapse in financial returns and jobs since the signing of the Regional
Forest Agreement", Senator Brown said.

"No one in the private sector would accept a situation where a company
generates less than a 2% return on its assets whilst its major customer
reports a 190% increase in profits, yet that is what Tasmanians are being
asked to accept in the relationship between Forestry Tasmania and Gunns Ltd.

"The Prime Minister promised 1000 new jobs and sustainability in the
industry when he signed the RFA yet  a recently released independent report
documents the loss of 1,240 since 1997.

"Every day I receive reports from communities around Tasmania that the
Forest Practices code is not being enforced and that there is no independent
auditing or assessment of the conservation values of coupes approved for
logging. But when I ask people to report these instances they either
indicate that they have done so with no action taken or that they are afraid
to do so because of the culture of fear and intimidation that now envelops
the public sector in Tasmania.

"The only way to get to the truth of what is happening in Tasmania is to
have a full and frank inquiry where witnesses are protected. The Commission
I am moving to establish will do that and its Terms of Reference are
sufficiently wide ranging to at last address the ground swell of public
discontent surrounding the destruction of Tasmania's wilderness forests."
Senator Brown concluded.

Further information: Ben Oquist  02 62773170 or 0419 704 095

Attached: terms of reference

Ben Oquist
Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown
02 62773170 ph
02 62773185 fx
www.bobbrown.org.au



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