Greens Leader Kim Booth MP today criticised resources Minister, Paul Harriss, for flogging a dead horse with his woodchip enquiry; wasting public money and causing further anxiety for Triabunna residents who welcome the Spring Bay Mill tourism proposal.
“Everybody knows the native forest woodchip industry is dead and gone” said Mr Booth.
“Its yesterday’s story, its financially unviable and the only result of establishing a port will be sacking more nurses, police officers and teachers.”
“Clearly this weightless enquiry is just another fraud on the Tasmanian people, and if an answer can be delivered in just 2 days then an enquiry is not needed in the first place.”
“Paul Harriss is so determined to ensure the tourist industry fails in Tasmania, and to continue with a failed woodchip export model, that he’ll do anything to destroy the venture proposed for Triabunna and is happy to waste more public money doing so.”
“No tax payer should be responsible for carting away the rubbish of an industry. If they aren’t creative enough to turn wood from the southern forests into a high value product, then they shouldn’t be cutting it down in the first place.”
“This will be a loser for the taxpayer, will cost more public service workers their jobs and in turn cost the community access to public health and education; all because of this obsession that the Hodgman government have with living in the past and trying to prop up unviable industries to use as a political ruse and divisive wedge.”