Richard Colbeck (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

As much as it grieves me, I have to agree with Senator Milne about the importance of clauses 25, 26 and 27, which demonstrate what a ridiculous agreement the Commonwealth government has signed with the states and how it is based on flawed information that was provided to it by Professor Jonathan West, who advised the Commonwealth government and the state governments during the negotiation of the IGA that there would not be any need to log in the 430,000 hectares.

Senator Ludwig interjecting—

If you would like to read the report, you might understand that. Again Senator Ludwig shows his complete lack of understanding of the agreement that the Commonwealth has negotiated with the Tasmanian government and how flawed the whole process has been.

Senator Ludwig interjecting—

The clauses are important and that is why I asked him about this on Monday. He had no idea then and he has got no idea about it now—and yelling out across the chamber does not actually indicate any understanding of this process at all. This whole process is a corporate strategy that has been put in place by one company with the Greens. It is flawed and it will not provide for reasonable forestry or environmental outcomes, because what it is effectively going to do is cram what is left of the forest industry into a smaller area and set it up for failure four or five years down the track. The minister has so little understanding of his portfolio that he does not understand the basic principles of what he is doing to the forest industry in Tasmania. His whole panel is stacked with close associates of the Wilderness Society, so he is getting flawed advice from that. He will not talk to the forest professionals from around the country, so he has no understanding of what this program is going to do—no understanding at all—and all he is doing is setting up the Tasmanian forest industry for failure in a few years, and we will not stand for it. (Time expired)

Question put:

That the amendment (Senator Colbeck's) be agreed to.

The Senate divided. [15:59]

(The President—Senator Hogg)

Question negatived.