The Deputy Premier Bryan Green said today the Liberal Party still refused to face up to the issues facing forestry in Tasmania by completely overlooking the restructuring of the industry in its alternative budget.

 

"The Liberals approach is a dead end for the forest industry in Tasmania," Mr Green said.

 

"To suggest the sector will somehow magically overcome the market downturn and the high exchange rate if the Liberals were in government is rubbish.

 

Mr Green said the Government would not walk away from the forest industry and condemned the Liberal's do nothing approach.

 

"Where is the support for the forest industry in the Liberal alternative budget?

 

Mr Green said the $110 million contingency in this year's Budget for Forestry Tasmania was recognition of the market challenges and pressures faced by the business as the industry undergoes the biggest restructuring in its history.

 

"This is not about winding up Forestry Tasmania it is about managing the transition.

 

"The Intergovernmental Agreement is the best chance of securing a sustainable future for our forest industry but the Liberals still have their heads in the sand.

 

"The Liberals would have denied tens of millions of dollars of assistance to forest contractors and workers provided from the Agreement to support them through the transition.

 

"This is happening through no fault of the industry or the Government.

 

"The Liberals will not recognise that Tasmania's forest industry is restructuring because they refuse to face up to the facts.

 

"They cannot continue to pretend there is no problem," Mr Green said.