The government's decision to reopen 4WD tracks in the Arthur Pieman Conservation Area is a backward step that will threaten Aboriginal heritage and a fragile coastal ecology.
"These tracks were closed by the former government because Aboriginal heritage was being destroyed, and sensitive coastal areas damaged, and they should stay closed," said Greens Environment spokesperson Nick McKim MP.
"The Tarkine needs formal protection. What it doesn't need is to be re-exposed to the damage that has been done in the past."
Mr McKim also said that it is passing strange that Tasmania's Premier is Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, yet Parliamentary Secretary Adam Brooks appears to be setting policy in this area.
"Mr Hodgman has bent like a reed when he should have stood strong for the Tarkine, its values, and its place in a sustainable and diverse economy on the north-west coast," Mr McKim said.