[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Minister Fails to Guarantee Sawlogs Won't go to Woodchippers_N McKim MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

LLEWELLYN FAILS TO GUARANTEE SAWLOG TENDERS WILL NOT GO TO WOODCHIPPERS

Nick McKim MP
Greens Opposition Leader

Thursday, 20 November 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today accused the Bartlett Labor Government of
allowing sawlogs to be woodchipped due to a downturn in demand, as
revealed by Forestry Tasmania's recent announcement announcing that some
sawlogs will now be tendered. [i]

Greens Opposition Leader Nick McKim MP said that Minister David
Llewellyn had failed to rule out sawlog-grade logs being sold to
woodchip companies when asked about the issue in Parliament today, which
again demonstrates the extent to which the Labor government is prepared
to prioritise the woodchip industry over sawmill operators.

"Sawlogs should go to Tasmanian mills to provide jobs and wealth for our
communities, not chipped and exported to Asia," Mr McKim said.

"Yet when Forestry Minister Mr Llewellyn was asked to guarantee that the
sawlogs being put up for tender by Forestry Tasmania would only go to
sawmills and not to woodchipping operations, he failed to do so."

"If Tasmania's forest industry was truly based around sawmilling, as the
Government constantly claims, this would not be occurring. The fact that
it is shows that the clearfelling of our native forests is in order to
feed the voracious woodchip industry."



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[i] Forestry Tasmania media statement, "End of exports of unprocessed
logs from Burnie", 5 November 2008.




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