Under Labor and the Greens, forest workers were leaving Tasmania in droves.
Under the Hodgman Liberal Government, they are coming home again to an industry that is growing and where new opportunities are emerging.
The announcement by Australian Sustainable Hardwoods demonstrates its strong interest in investing in Tasmania.
Labor decimated the forest industry in Tasmania; and now the Victorian Labor Government is doing the same in that state.
You cannot trust Labor to protect the jobs of forest workers.
In contrast, the Liberal Government has had productive discussions with the company over recent weeks and months, and we will continue to work together to help bring a new mill to the State.
The value of our pro-jobs attitude is clear from the public comments of the Hermal Group – owners of Australian Sustainable Hardwoods – that it is “refreshing to work with a Government that has an attitude of solving problems not creating them”.
Discussions to date have been about a potential mill in Burnie processing Tasmanian plantation timber.
The pending closure of the Heyfield Mill in Victoria demonstrates the importance of ensuring timber supply to the industry.
This is why the Liberal Government here is so committed to unlocking our productive forests, because it will save jobs while ending the need for public subsidies.
Labor – under the inexperienced Rebecca White – has no plan for growing forestry and would continue these subsidies.