[Greens-Media] Senate will send clear message: Australia wants World Heritage protection – Greens

[Stahel, Peter (Sen C. Milne)]

Senate will send clear message: Australia wants World Heritage protection – Greens

When Parliament returns next week the Australian Greens will move a motion to condemn the Abbott government for its attempt to withdraw ancient forests from the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, and to send a clear message to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that Australians do not back the government’s pro-logging ideology.

“Tony Abbott and Eric Abetz want to take us back to their youth and an economy dependent on unsustainable resource industries, but Australians want a strong economy that protects our globally recognised and ancient forests,” Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

“Most Tasmanians and Australians understand that to build a strong economy we need to look to the future.  There is no future for Tasmania in native forestry – there simply isn’t a market for timber from projects that destroy ancient forests, and with good reason.

“The Greens will move a motion next week to condemn the government and send a message to the World Heritage Committee to reject the ideological and pro-logging request from the Abbott government – the request does not represent the will of the Australian people.

“The 74,000 hectares of treasured forest that is threatened will be an embarrassment to Australia if it is lost to the world.

“There is no motivation for this move save an obsession with native forest logging. It is a cynical political ploy ahead of the Tasmanian state election on March 15.

“The Senate will make clear to the World Heritage Committee that Australia does not support the Abbott government’s anti-environment stance.”

DRAFT NOTICE OF MOTION
I give notice that on the next day of sitting I shall move that – 
The Senate:
1. Condemns the Abbott Government for its attempt to reduce the size of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area by 74,000 hectares to enable logging of high conservation value forests;
2. Supports the findings of the World Heritage Committee that the areas proposed for excision satisfy World Heritage criteria;
3. Notes that commercial markets reject timber protects from primary native forests as unsustainable and uncertified; 
4. Understands that the Abbott Government’s proposed boundary adjustments is driven by a pro-logging  ideology rather than evidence that this area does not contain world heritage values; and
5. Supports the 2013 boundary modification and calls on the World Heritage Committee to reject the request to reduce the size of the World Heritage Area.

Senator Christine Milne
Leader of the Australian Greens