Cassy O’Connor MP | Greens' Leader and Forests spokesperson
The Premier has been exposed for misleading the Tasmanian people when he said in April 2014 that his government would not be privatizing public assets.
In Parliament today, we asked how selling the 29 000 hectares with a 99 year lease on the land is not privatization. Mr Hodgman didn’t even go close to answering.
To hide behind a 99 year lease and claim it isn’t privatization is just dishonest. This is the Liberals selling the farm and trying to mislead Tasmanians in the process.
29 000 hectares of land locked up for the exclusive use of a private company for 99 years is a significant loss of a public asset and it is privatization. Very few Tasmanians living today will be around when this land is returned to public hands a century from now, if it ever is.
Mr Hodgman also had no legitimate response to Greens’ questions over the plantation and land sale for $40-55 million less than what it cost taxpayers to establish them.
The level of spin and secrecy over this plantation sale and public land ‘lock up’ is extraordinary. It was announced on Facebook in the early hours of Thursday morning, then the Resources Minister went into hiding from the media.
Since then, there has been no attempt by the Minister or the Premier to provide detail to justify this bargain basement sale of a huge area of public land.
The 29 000 hectares belonged to the Tasmanian people until the Liberals flogged them off to a private bidder.
Tasmanians deserve better.