Both candidates now join existing independent frontrunners Kristie Johnston and Sue Hickey in Clark, who signed The Forest Pledge on Parliament lawns in Hobart last Friday.
Key Findings:
- Australia Institute research shows 57% of Tasmanians are opposed to the Liberal Government's plan to make 40,000 hectares of native forest available for logging.
- Less than 1% of Tasmanian jobs are in forestry, and most forestry jobs don't stem from native forests.
- Major political parties have used hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidise the industry.
"Politicians everywhere, including in Tasmania, need to think very carefully when developing future policies because we have a responsibility to balance nature, jobs, and people," said independent candidate Lara Alexander.
"Unless we do this well, we risk harming our communities and our environment, leaving a poor legacy for our future generations."
"I support ending the industrial scale carnage, being native forest logging, that has gone on for decades in Tasmania," said Craig Garland, the independent candidate for Braddon.
"I would love to see a return to selective logging so that our forests are managed sustainably in the long term and so that that skillset and knowledge is passed on."
"This is a significant development not just for Tasmanian forests, but the future Tasmanian parliament. With yet more key independents signing the pledge, it's likely the future government will have to engage with a crossbench committed to ending native forest logging," said Australia Institute spokesperson on native forests, Vanessa Bleyer.
