Dr WOODRUFF (Franklin) - Mr Deputy Speaker, the Greens were pleased to hear this morning that the Minister for Parks, Mrs Petrusma, made an announcement when she tabled a proclamation under the Nature Conservation Act 2002 to proclaim a new reserve status of 25 400 hectares of so-called future production forests inside the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA). This is unfinished business, a decade after the Tasmanian Forestry Agreement was signed and the TWWHA was extended under the Labor-Greens government as the result of the Tasmanian Forestry Agreement. The Liberals have formally protected those threatened forests inside the TWWHA boundary.
Imagine our surprise when we heard comments from Labor's Dr Broad in the Chamber, protesting, scoffing, scorning, cat-calling to the minister for this proclamation. What a shock to see his press release which he hastily put out shortly afterwards. I will read bits, because people should know what Dr Broad has said. He said -
[OK]
The Minister for Parks has today effectively locked up 22 500 hectares of the Liberals so-called 'wood bank'. That has left the Liberals no more lock ups commitment a smouldering wreck as a big chunk of the Future Potential Production Forests become reserves, conservation areas and national parks.
Shock! He said -
This is rank hypocrisy by a government that has campaigned over three elections now on a 'no more lock ups' commitment only to now try to sneak it in to Parliament without debate or consultation with the timber industry. [OK]
Yes, he would not want us to talk to anybody else except the timber industry about protecting reserve status forests that are now in the Wilderness World Heritage Area. He is priming the bulldozers to go in there, because what he says is
This lock up is happening before the Rockliff-Ferguson Government completes its sustainable wood supply assessment due this year. [OK]
Dr Broad is outraged that more forests will not be bulldozed. He wants the bulldozers, essentially, to be able to go into the Wilderness World Heritage Area. This is a dangerous man who does not understand that the climate is heating, and we have a solemn duty to young people to do everything we can to protect carbon stores. This is a member of the Labor Party which in this recent federal election lost ground, had a swing against them in Tasmania - the only state in Australia that Labor had a swing against them. They want to have a good, hard look at themselves.
Why is that? I will tell you why, it is because they are so out of touch with young Tasmanians. Climate deniers, like Dr Broad -
Mr Winter - He is not a climate denier.
Ms O'Connor - Yes, he is.
Mr Winter - He is not a climate denier.
Dr WOODRUFF - He would actually sanction -
Ms O'Connor - He absolutely is.
Dr WOODRUFF - Yes, he is. He would actually sanction taking bulldozers into the Wilderness World Heritage Area, he is outraged that we are protecting forests, and at time of galloping, accelerating climate change, he would prefer that instead we just mowed down every stick of wood that we can see.
Dr Bob Brown put out a statement and made the very good point that the premiership of Paul Lennon was the last time that a shadow treasurer like Shane Broad catapulted past the Liberals; he has gone further right, and is taking the Labor Party in Tasmania further to the right in advocating forest destruction. Where is the Leader of the Opposition? Where is she? Why is she allowing rogue statements from a member of her PLP, instead of calling him into line? She ought to be able to see that what Tasmanians want is an opposition with a vision for the future that first of all, understands and commits to urgent reduction of carbon emissions.
Why can our children even think of voting for a party which is doing nothing to turn back emissions in Tasmania; which is actually trying to accelerate the destruction of biodiversity; trying to speed up the emissions of carbon that has been stored in the ground, sometimes, for thousands of years. We would really like to understand what is going on in the Labor Party, because Tasmanians deserve to have an opposition which is really going to scrutinise the government on the issues that matter to Tasmanians. They are not showing any difference between the Government on salmon farms, on mining, on climate action, on planning schemes, forestry, and especially on anti-protest legislation. They caved on anti-protest legislation.
The Leader of the Opposition started this when she backed down on the anti-gambling laws. It is because of the repeated failure of Labor in Tasmania to stand for anything except for trying to out extreme the Liberals. This is a pathway to doom for the Labor Party. Tasmanians deserve to have an opposition that has something to give us, some vision, a vision that is positive for young people, instead of destroying everything, burning everything, and heating the planet.
Ms O'Connor - Hear, hear.