Any remaining unexpended money from the Tasmanian Forest Agreement allocation to assist people to leave the logging industry, should be redirected into investing in retaining nurses, teachers, emergency service workers and other public sector jobs, Greens Leader and Forestry spokesperson Kim Booth MP said today.
“The Hodgman regime’s seizing of this unexpended money to use it for reasons diametrically opposed to its initial purpose is an appalling and offensive example of poor governance and arrogance,” Mr Booth said.
“This Commonwealth money was allocated to assist buying people out of an unviable forestry industry, not to once again entrench logging of native forests.”
“This money should have all been utilised for its original purposes to assist those contractors wanting to leave the industry to do so, but if the Liberals are not going to honour that intention, than at the very least it should not be used to further entrench unviable logging.”
“The Greens are calling on the Premier to intervene, hold back his out-of-control Minister for Trashing Tasmania, Paul Harriss, and instead to seek to negotiate with the Commonwealth for the State to invest these unspent monies into nurses, teachers, emergency service workers and other public sector jobs,” Mr Booth said.
