Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As required by resolution of the House, I table Notification of alterations of interests received during the period 24 June to 1 December 2015.

I present the report of the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests concerning an application from Mr Evan Rolley for the publication of a response to a reference made in the House of Representatives, and I ask leave of the House to move that the report be agreed to.

Leave granted.

The report that I have presented concerns an application from a person to the Standing Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests for the publication of a response to references made about him by a member in this House. The committee has recommended to the House that a response, in the terms included in the report, be incorporated in Hansard.

The document read as follows—

Response by Mr Evan Rolley to remarks

made by the Member for Denison

On 4 June 2015 in the Federation Chamber, the Member for Denison,

Mr Andrew Wilkie MP, made certain statements, and presented certain material, which adversely reflects on me.

The documents presented by Mr Wilkie were never discussed by him with me to check on any matters of fact. They contain numerous serious errors of fact, make defamatory references without foundation and are based on popular conspiracy theories. I reject the parts of the documents presented by Mr Wilkie which reflect on me and my reputation.

Forestry Tasmania and Ta Ann Tasmania have operated both ethically and legally in their commercial dealings that arose from a competitive expressions of interest process to develop value adding local manufacturing of previously exported hardwood woodchip logs in Tasmania.

Tasmania is the only state to now have a lower grade log recovery of thin hardwood veneers and modern local plywood manufacture for the Australian building and construction industries.

Wood supply agreements were backed by independently verified sustainable log supply reviews. None of the reviews have been shown to be wrong. External changes, influenced by the Global Financial Crisis, the high Aussie dollar, and Environmental Non-Government Organisations (ENGO) market attacks led to a new forest resource supply position in 2013 and changed operating conditions and sustainable log supplies.

Subsequent changes to wood supply contracts and agreements to protect more forests have required changes to business models and have been widely supported in the market place.

I personally remain, as always, willing to answer any questions on matters of fact raised in any parliamentary inquiry at any time.

In recommending that the response be incorporated in I, the committee emphasises that, as required by the right of reply resolution, the committee has not considered or judged the truth of any statements made by the member in the House or by the person seeking the response.

Report—by leave—agreed to.