Many members of our State Parliament have been long-time staunch supporters of Forestry Tasmania as the foundation of our forest industry to the point where simple logic and commonsense fail to persuade.
This wonderful review by finance commentator John Lawrence of last Friday’s performance at the annual GBE scrutiny hearing is just inspired. The Minister for Resources (and forests) Paul Harriss was clearly on his mettle.
http://tasfintalk.blogspot.com.au/2015/12/will-minister-harriss-outlast-ft.html
Here’s the Parliamentary website for the review committees:
http://www.parliament.tas.gov.au/ctee/Council/Archived/lcgbe2015.htm
But it does show that after so many decades at least some of our elected representatives are finally beginning to understand they have backed the wrong horse.
Is Forestry Tasmania broke?
Yes!
Is Forestry Tasmania (and the State government) acting to disadvantage private forest growers?
Yes!
You can almost hear the old rusted pennies drop. Kerclunk!!
And it’s all too late!!
No legislation will save FT now. The application for FSC certification is just a political smoke screen.
All the decades of chest thumping and sabre (chainsaw??) rattling were for nothing.
Game over!
As John Lawrence poses the question, which will happen first? Will FT be shut down or will Minister Harriss be consigned to the backbenches?
For existing and potential (disadvantaged) blackwood growers both events can’t come soon enough.
Gordon where is all this cheap backwood going? What is the end use for this wonderful timber? It’s a premium product and end users should be happy to pay a decent price for it.
Best wishes from Ireland,
Chris.
Chris Larkin Custom Guitars, Castlegregory, Co Kerry, Ireland. +353861712331 http://www.chrislarkinguitars.com
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Hi Chris, That’s a good question. Most blackwood ends up in the premium furniture, cabinet and commercial fit-out markets. And the end users do pay a decent price (mostly). But the Tasmanian State Government regards the blackwood industry as a community service, which is why they want to log the World Heritage Area.
None of this makes any sense to me and I’m sure makes even less sense from your distant viewpoint.
It’s what happens when your forest industry is dominated by politics for far too long.
Cheers
Gordon