The Slow Awakening

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.