The Federal Labor Government's decision to prioritise an Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU) Scheme proposal, which seeks to cease or defer native forest harvesting, is an underhanded attack on Tasmanian jobs.
This is also a direct assault on the environment, ignoring research from the CSIRO's retired chief research scientist as well as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Tasmania has a renewable, sustainable and world-class native hardwood industry.
Minister for Business, Industry and Resources, Eric Abetz, said that this latest sneak raid must be called out for what it is.
"This is an attack on regional jobs here in Tasmania, plain and simple," Minister Abetz said.
"I've written to Federal Minister Julie Collins to express my disappointment – and it is important to note that this is a direct assault on jobs in her very own electorate.
"Wood is renewable, recyclable and at the end of the day bio-degradable and Tasmania's forest practices are second to none in the world.
"It's how we get the timber and fibre we need to build houses, hospitals and schools while supporting communities and families across Tasmania.
"If we don't harvest the timber we need here, we have to import it from overseas at great expense and belching tonnes of bunker fuel fumes into the atmosphere in the process.
"Tasmania will not support any carbon credit scheme proposal that undermines the value of our native forestry sector and puts at risk local jobs in an attempt to placate extremist environmental groups.
"We will continue to back in our forestry sector through our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future."
Federal Shadow Minister for the Environment, Fisheries and Forestry, Jonno Duniam, is accusing the Government of yet another attack on this industry.
"Labor promised that native forestry jobs would be secure under their Government, but now Chris Bowen and Julie Collins are using a backdoor way to shut it down. They need to be honest with businesses and workers engaged in native forestry to explain why they are abandoning them," Senator Duniam said.
"Timber workers deserve better than the Labor Government who are more interested in pandering to activists than looking after regional jobs.
"The Albanese Government need to urgently scrap this process and, in doing so, recognise the importance of native forestry for our environment and our economy. If we can't get our hardwood here, it will be imported from unsustainable sources that do not share our high environmental standards."
