Darren Chester (Gippsland, National Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Roads and Regional Transport) Share this | Hansard source

No. I say that with all sincerity because I think it strongly makes the case, in a very succinct way, for members who perhaps are not necessarily that familiar with the hardwood timber industry. It explains what is at stake here. So I congratulate the member for Lyne for moving this motion for disallowance. I condemn the Australian Greens party in particular for continuing to pursue this great myth that in Australia we are down to our last tree and that the chainsaws are out to get that as well. We have a very sustainable hardwood timber industry in this nation. It is worth fighting for, and I congratulate members on this side of the House who are prepared to stand up and fight for the timber industry today. What concerns me about the Australian Greens is that that party can only survive when they are fighting to save something. As soon as they save one coupe in my electorate you will have a spokesperson for the environmental movement out there saying, 'That's a good start but now we need something else.' They are never satisfied. The Australian Greens are never satisfied because they survive as a protest party that have to be saving something.

When it comes to the Australian timber industry, it is time for all members who care about the future of blue-collar workers and regional communities to say, 'Enough is enough.' We have an extensive reserve network in this nation and we have a sustainable hardwood timber industry that is worth fighting for. So I encourage those members opposite to support the member for Lyne and, in particular, I encourage members of the crossbenches to support their colleague in this motion for disallowance. Do the right thing by the Australian timber industry and, most importantly, do the right thing by the Australian timber industry workers and their families who depend on this place and the members in this place to finally stand up for workers and give regional communities a chance.

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