Cassy O’Connor’s threat to provoke more arrests at forestry coups is an outrageous attack on Tasmanian jobs.
Our Government supports the right to protest peacefully but dangerous and threatening actions cannot be tolerated and at a time when we desperately need to protect jobs and regional economies, it is not acceptable for the Greens to promote invading a legitimate workplace to try to stop hard-working Tasmanians earning a living.
It confirms the Greens will do whatever it takes to start a fresh wave of forestry wars for their own political ends, with jobs and families in our regional areas to suffer as a result.
The facts are, the Government has already taken significant actions to protect swift parrots, including the Swift Parrot Public Area Management Agreement that protects almost 10,000 ha of swift parrot nesting habitat from wood production.
Sustainable Timber Tasmania is also developing a Swift Parrot Management Plan in consultation with species experts to detail the strategies and corresponding actions for increased conservation and management for the Swift Parrot in public production forests.
It’s simply not good enough for the Greens and their allies to actively try to destroy Tasmanian jobs, especially given these protests are taking place on Permanent Timber Production Zone (PTPZ) land specifically set aside by both Houses of State Parliament and agreed to by the Greens.
It’s also not good enough for Labor to stand silently on the sidelines, especially after they voted against our workplace protection laws specifically designed to protect workplaces from this kind of activity.
Rebecca White needs to condemn the Greens for their ongoing attempts to destroy our forestry industry, and reverse her opposition to protecting workplaces and jobs from radical protesters.