A $53 million grant given to upgrade Cement Australia's Railton kiln will fund the burning of native forest woodchips, documents revealed to the Senate show.
A letter from Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen confirmed that the new kiln would be burning woodchips from a number of sources, including native forests.
"Minister Bowen's letter admits that native forest will be burned in the furnaces at Railton," Greens Senator for Tasmania and Forests Spokesperson Senator Nick McKim said.
"It's an outrage that Labor is pouring climate funding into native forest destruction."
"This funding should be used for genuine emissions reduction, not throwing yet another lifeline to Tasmania's mendicant native forest industry."
"Replacing coal with native forest woodchips may actually increase carbon emissions."
"Mr Bowen has left open the possibility that Cement Australia will burn wood from high conservation value native forests that should be protected in National Parks or the World Heritage Area."
"This is a direct attack on Tasmania's forests, and a clear example of how the government is failing to take the climate crisis seriously."
"Mr Bowen needs to rescind the grant immediately."
"Cement Australia needs to understand that Tasmanians will not put up with native forests being fed into its furnaces in a sham emissions reduction program."
"Labor should be ending the public subsidies for native forest logging, not expanding them."
