MEDIA RELEASE: Time for the Liberals to Stop Attacking the Tasmanian Forestry Agreement

The announcement from Bunnings to not stock timber if it is logged in protected areas of Tasmania’s forests is a stark reminder to the Liberal Party that tearing up the Tasmanian Forestry Agreement isn’t only bad for the environment – it’s also bad for jobs.

The Tasmanian Forestry Agreement was forged through years of negotiations between industry, the union and environmental groups to deliver a peace which had been unheard of for decades in Tasmania.

Tony Abbott’s original announcement to tear the Agreement up was never about jobs – it was pure politics.

It was about misleading the people of Tasmania and trying to pretend that the demands for certification internationally would not have an impact on jobs in Tasmania.

Instead of tearing the Agreement apart, it’s time now for the Liberals to start piecing it back together.

The alternative is an unthinkable outcome for jobs and an irreversible outcome for the environment.