October 04, 2004

TREESON!

Mark Latham once angered Greens by telling steel workers that 10,000 jobs were threatened by their crazy Kyoto-ish eco-policies.

Now he’s enraged timber workers by threatening their jobs with his own eco-policies:

"It's the most fundamental sellout of the Tasmanian forests industry by a Labor leader in the history of the labour movement in this country," [Forest Industry Association of Tasmania chief executive Terry] Edwards said. "Believe me, Mark Latham has ratted on you."

Mr Edwards said Mr Latham had promised on a visit to Tasmania in March that job protection for timber workers was non-negotiable.

"He has taken all of your jobs and sold you down the river," he said. "We have yet to see what John Howard's policy is but it's a little bit hard to envisage that it's going to be any worse than this rubbish."

UPDATE. Here’s a much better environmental policy:

The Federal Government allegedly offered a $36.4 million subsidy to an oil company if it promised to take environmental group Greenpeace to court.

Posted by Tim Blair at October 4, 2004 05:38 PM
Comments

Why are logging jobs so sacred? If we continued unsustainable industries for fear of losing jobs we'd still be whaling on the east coast of Australia.

Posted by: bongoman at October 4, 2004 at 08:35 PM

No we wouldn't. If it were unsustainable.

Posted by: slatts at October 4, 2004 at 09:42 PM

Logging is sustainable. Trees regrow. Foresters have an interest in maintaining the stock.

Malcolm Fraser stopped logging on Fraser Island and declared it a World Heritage Area. That's how much damage 150 years of logging did to the environment of Fraser Island.

But who cares? What are the jobs and businesses of ordinary Australians when a bunch of ignorant eco-nuts have to be bought off to gain power.

amortiser

Posted by: amortiser at October 4, 2004 at 09:47 PM

Ah, Latham, you fool. The PM with his talk of a forestry plan for Tasmania - yet to be released - has spooked you into jeopardising your vote in Tasmania and probably costing you any hope of government. It's all downside for Labor, upsetting the blue collar timber worker vote in Tasmania. There goes Bass. Meanwhile, the PM with absolutely nothing to lose in Tasmania, might release his forestry package to appease the suburban greenies in Melbourne and Sydney and pick up votes and/or green preferences on the mainland. Perfect!

Posted by: Mike at October 4, 2004 at 09:54 PM

The problem with logging is that it is a productive industry which generates profits and private sector jobs, thus preventing the collapse of capitalism. By preventing logging and other private sector industries, greenies ensure that unemployment increases, government revenue is reduced, and newly unemployed workers make further demands on government, thus causing economic difficulties which the greenies can then blame on the inequities of capitalism. Most importantly, the greenies feel good about themselves. Of course, this also means that the trees they save get to burn down in large bushfires instead of being used for productive purposes, thus releasing large amounts of toxic & greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, but fortunately greenies don't sincerely care about that any more than they care about lost jobs.

Posted by: Clem Snide at October 4, 2004 at 10:22 PM

Old growth logging is a crime,particularly with the methods used in australia that involve chipping.
Here in WA we have made great strides.We(the state) used to charge loggers $50 a cubic metre for timber,a quick visit to bunnings would reveal that even small profiles of dry dressed jarrah sell for more than $9000 a cubic metre.
Why would you sell good timber for woodchips?

Posted by: marklatham at October 4, 2004 at 11:04 PM

the logging companies have had 20 years to develop a sustainable, plantation industry in Tasmania and have failed to do so due to economic "reasons." perhaps the loggers' time has run out...

Posted by: Polky at October 4, 2004 at 11:06 PM

The beginning of the end for Latham, Labor's vote is in free fall collapse, 5 Labour seats are up in for grabs in Tasmania its a pity Howard hasn't been there, still time though.

Massive swings to the Coalition for the offering, and the colllapse of the Labour vote and Labor seats as well.

The Coalition is surging
Labor is collapsing.

The vast majority of Australians don't want the Satanic creep Latham as Prime Minister (now or ever) and will vote accordingly.

Posted by: klein at October 4, 2004 at 11:27 PM

Why should they waste money developing plantations when there are vast tracts of old growth forests waiting to be logged, Polky? Does Gaia need tree sacrifices in the form of bushfires to be appeased?

Posted by: Clem Snide at October 4, 2004 at 11:38 PM

Talking about forests and thiings green - whatever happened to Latham' secret weapon? Where is the guy with the shaved head who refuses to kiss babaies?

Posted by: kevin d at October 5, 2004 at 09:55 AM

sorry about the spelling mistakes

Posted by: kevin d at October 5, 2004 at 09:56 AM

Markys kissing them now- more disfunctional kiddies who will need regression therapy to find the source of their angst in 2014

Posted by: Rose at October 5, 2004 at 10:45 AM

It is a difficult and complex problem and I feel poorly qualified to comment, however I do not wish to see the great forests destroyed and native habitat damaged nor the timber workers and the allied industries to suffer.We certainly need a sustainable loggging industry however we can all do our bit, demand less packaging- buy fewer newspaper- put some journo's out of work?? another set of problems!!. And we were told computers would stop us usinfg so much paper????????
Back to smoke signals- oh damn that means burning wood

Posted by: Rose at October 5, 2004 at 10:54 AM

May I ask why in particular old growth forests are better than new ones? Is it the wildlife issue? I seem to recall a study which showed that the usefulness of old-growth as wildlife habitat was exaggerated.

Posted by: Quentin George at October 5, 2004 at 01:36 PM

Trees alone are not the forest-it is the breaking down of tree litter, fallen old trees and fungi, insects and bacteria also, that form the forest floor, the damp and the mould- the hollowed out trunks that provide habitat for birds nesting and marsupials- most of which, I glean from wildlife programmes.This process of degeneration and regeneration takes many many years and obviously they must be less prone to forest fires or the trees would not have not made the growth and survived as long as they have.
I like to conserve resources but despise many in the green and conservation movement as they would see mass starvation whilst we hug trees.
They would have us eat vegetable matter, but seem not to realise that there would be no vegetables to eat- because the sacred wildlife would grow in such huge numbers, leading to their mass hunger and who, lo and behold all the crops are eaten by these cute creatures- How do we keep them of the crops???????????? Please EXPLAIN
and whilst we are on sustainable development - after Bob Browns little lamb has finished giving of its wool, for his nice sports jacket does he let it die of starvation as 2 tooths are apt to do or die savaged by wild dogs and feral cats.
Free range chooks- tried that and the bloody fox got them all. Torn to bits-Lambs -oh don't kill them- let the fox tear out its tongue and let it bleed to death or be eaten alive or left for the crows to peck out its eyes.
Have acreage, and had the joy of 12 native hens-adopting us- bloody fox got those too.
What does he wear on his feet-Leather shoes or PVC?? this nonsense could go on for ever. Nature is cruel and to my mind a well fed and contented animal stunned before death is by far better off.
Amazing more concern from these people re animal slaughter but nary a peep when hostages have their heads slowly sliced off and fully awake to what is to happen, OH dear God spare me these people and the well meaning idiots who put their trust in them

Posted by: Rose at October 5, 2004 at 02:50 PM

Why don't we ask greenies and loggers to put their money where their mouths are?

Lets auction off the Tasmanian forest to the highest bidders. If the hippies love trees so much, let them pay for them.

Posted by: Art Vandelay at October 5, 2004 at 03:29 PM