The Federal and State Liberal parties must let go of their ideologically driven push to undermine Tasmania’s internationally acclaimed World Heritage Area, which is only destroying Australia’s reputation on the global stage, Greens Leader Kim Booth MP said today.
“We are seeing the Liberals’ anti-WHA addiction hit desperation level as each of their nonsense arguments to support the Abbott government’s shameful delisting proposal are exposed for the hollow shams that they are,” Mr Booth said.
“The lie that the newly listed forest areas have been disturbed by industrial scale logging has been exposed by the federal government’s own Environment Department, so that excuse clearly won’t work anymore.”
“Now we are hearing Mr Hutchinson bleating that somehow the World Heritage Committee broke their own guidelines by approving the minor extension last year, which exposes his own embarrassing ignorance on this issue.”
“Where have Mr Hutchinson and Senator Colbeck been? The World Heritage Committee has long been on the record since 1989 repeatedly requesting that Australia addresses the outstanding issues surrounding the WHA’s eastern boundary, and specifically requested in 2008, 2010 and 2012 that the areas contained in last year’s extension be nominated.”
“The minor boundary extension submitted and accepted last year went some way towards addressing these formal requests of the Committee.”
“Mr Hutchinson’s hysterical claim that last year’s addition exceeds the minor boundary extension conveniently ignores the fact that to maximise boundary integrity the new WHA boundary now includes areas that were already state declared reserves, such as the Mt Field National Park.”
“It is past time for both the federal and state Liberals stopped with the distortions, the hysteria and the fear-mongering, and get on with celebrating our unique and invaluable World Heritage areas of which we have the privilege of being the custodians for future generations.”
“This ideologically driven obsession of the Liberals to destroy our World Heritage Area has only destroyed the nation’s reputation, dragging down Tasmania along the way,” Mr Booth said.