Tassie forest deal falls short
Seven months after Mark Latham’s thrust for the federal leadership came unstuck, in part due to the unfavourable response over his stance on Tasmania’s old growth forests an agreement over the fate of the forests has finally been reached. The Tasmanian ALP Premier Paul Lennon signed John Howard’s Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement with much fanfare in the Styx Valley last week. Labor and Liberal party leaders alike have applauded the $250 million dollar plan as a new step forward aimed at reducing the clear-felling of old growth forests and creating short-term jobs. But critics from The Greens and environmental NGOs have slammed the ALP for failing to oppose the agreement, which they say falls far short of the protection outlined by Mark Latham in his pre-election stand. Sean Cadman, National Forest Campaign Coodinator for the Wilderness Society, spoke to The Wire’s Christine Baker.