Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Lyons has a very strong record in this House as someone who has always stood up on the side of jobs in Tasmania. He has always been there. All those jobs are possible only because we have moved beyond the old conflict model. The old conflict model was killing our international markets, which are now opened up. Most of the people who will be taking up the exit packages will be using that money to reinvest back into jobs in the north-west, in the southern forests, across the eastern forests—throughout Tasmania. What we have there is the opposite of what the Liberal Party would have wanted. They have had terror at the thought that there might not be conflict. The moment they thought we could actually have a thing called peace in the forests nothing has scared them more, because their whole political approach in Tasmania has thrived on the conflict model. Seats like the seat of Lyons, the seat of Franklin and the seat of Bass have always thrived on the concept of jobs. They have always thrived on the concept of making sure that we adapt to the changes in the market and that we do not pretend that a battle from 30 years ago is going to provide a sustainable future for Tasmanians. It is about making sure that we look at where markets have gone and that we work with the Tasmanian community to make sure that the economic future that members like the member for Lyons have been demanding is well and truly within the grasp of Tasmanians.

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