Environment groups are outraged by the revelation reported in The Australian today of double dealing by the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT), who are pursuing an alternative arrangement with the Liberal Party to the current forest agreement negotiations. This arrangement would not protect any new forest reserves but lock in logging whilst quashing markets activity and protest actions.

“This bad faith by the forest industry is undermining good will and shows that they are not serious about protecting high conservation value forests in Tasmania – they only want to silence those who are campaigning for our magnificent forests whilst giving loggers a guarantee they can go for broke,” said Jenny Weber of the Huon Valley Environment Centre.

“FIAT and the Liberals cobbling together an alternative deal is threatening the durability of forest outcomes. Our reaction to this duplicity and evident intention to renege on forest protection is that we no longer feel compelled to sit on the sidelines when the forces against forests are as busy as ever and taking people of goodwill for a ride,” said Peg Putt of Markets for Change.

“On one hand we have a call for sawmillers to voluntarily exit the forests and on the other their leading representative, Glenn Britton, is organising to entrench them and rebuff forest protection. It is becoming clear that these individuals are not genuinely committed to a world class reserves outcome, just manoeuvring for advantage,” said Ula Majewski of The Last Stand.

“My reason for continuing my stand in the Observer Tree has unfortunately been reinforced by today’s revelations. Tasmania’s high conservation value forests need urgent protection, and it is concerning that some elements of the industry may be looking to further entrench forest destruction,” said Miranda Gibson of Still Wild Still Threatened, from the Observer Tree.