Howard Woos Green Vote - Keep Logging Old Growth Indefinitely In Tasmania

[hatrack]

"Prime Minister John Howard, in a move hailed by the timber industry and condemned by environmentalists, yesterday vowed to allow logging of Tasmania's old-growth forests to proceed indefinitely at existing planned levels.

In his last big announcement before Saturday's election, Mr Howard said a re-elected Coalition government would preserve an extra 170,000 hectares of Tasmanian old-growth forest, while ensuring no job losses for timber workers.

The additional area for preservation under the Coalition was nominated on the advice of the timber industry, and consists mainly of areas not scheduled to be logged. It is significantly less than the 240,000 hectares that Labor has pledged to lock up, subject to review.

EDIT

Senator Brown said Mr Howard's policy was one for "appalling destruction" of forests and that Coalition voters would have chainsaws ringing in their ears when they voted on Saturday. "Two-thirds of Tasmania's iconic forests that could be protected will go to the chainsaws under John Howard," he said. Labor leader Mark Latham said Mr Howard had produced a "con-job" after saying earlier in the campaign he would stop old-growth logging. "As with the Kyoto Protocol, the Murray River and mandatory renewable energy targets, he has no commitment to the environment." Labor forestry spokesman Joel Fitzgibbon said Mr Howard's policy was a hoax. "It appears that at least 140,000 hectares of the forests John Howard claims he is saving already can't be logged under existing forest management," Mr Fitzgibbon said."

EDIT

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/10/06/1096949589167.html?oneclick=true

[blindpig]

1. where's a thylacine when you need one?

A confirmed sighting would be double sweet but I'm not gonna hold my breath.Everybody's got to believe in something.........

[DrWeird]

2. "keep old growth logging indefinitely"

Or until after five years all the old-growth forests are completely gone. Whichever comes first.