Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens Leader and Forests spokesperson
Minister Guy Barnett’s constant refusal to be honest is disrespectful to both the Tasmanian people and their democratic processes.
Two recent Right to Information requests have shown in black and white that Minister Barnett has misled Tasmanians. The first on the duck hunting season, the second on the planned closure of the Styx Road for Forestry Tasmania logging operations.
In Parliament today, when the Greens asked the Minister to correct the record on these issues, and apologise to Tasmanians for misleading them, Mr Barnett doubled down on his untruths.
In attempting to dodge accountability, Mr Barnett has suffered from the risk faced by all those who attempt to distort the truth – self-contradiction.
After previously saying there were no plans to close the Styx Road, he changed his tune in Parliament today, saying there were plans but they changed in early August.
Mr Barnett’s new version of the truth has shown up his previous comments directed at forest defenders. What he claimed was a “new low” using “completely baseless claims” is utter rubbish.
The truth is, the Bob Brown Foundation raised the road closure issue in a letter to the Premier on 31 July – before the road closure plans changed, as stated by Mr Barnett himself.
Mr Barnett has been digging himself deeper and deeper into a dark hole of dishonesty. It’s time for him to throw away the shovel, admit he hasn’t be honest, apologise to Tasmanians and commit to being more truthful in future.