Media Release

Peter Gutwein MP
Shadow Minister for Industry

Friday 7th May 2010

Short-Term Assistance for Forestry Contractors Essential

The Labor-Green Government must immediately put in place a further short-term assistance package for forestry contractors hit by the severe downturn in the woodchip market.

Tasmania's forest contractors are bleeding and it is simply not good enough that they are being ignored by the Labor-Green government, half of whom significantly contributed to the problem in the first place by poisoning our woodchip markets in Japan.

The question that needs to be asked is: where is Mr Green, the responsible Minister, who didn't even know, when asked in Parliament earlier this week, that further shut-downs of Gunns woodchip mill are imminent?

And where are the imaginary 800,000 tonnes of woodchip sales that his government promised prior to the election?

We will be seeking meetings with representatives of the forest industry over coming days to discuss how we can ensure we have a sustainable forestry industry into the future, including the long-term challenges and the most beneficial way to structure a short-term assistance package.