Tomorrow each and every Labor member of Parliament will be forced to put on the record whether or not they support the job-destroying forest deal.

Each and every Labor member went to the 2010 election campaign promising to extend the Regional Forest Agreement, not rip it up, as Labor have now done – simply because the Greens have demanded it.

Labor members will be judged by their actions tomorrow, and we will be ensuring that they are forced to answer to the voters of their electorates for the way they vote.

The text of the motion is below:-
NOTICE OF MOTION
Hon. Will Hodgman MP
Mr Speaker,

I give notice that on tomorrow I shall move that this House directs the Premier to terminate the Intergovernmental Agreement on Forestry, in accordance with clause 52 of the Agreement, on account of:

1. The Premier has relinquished responsibility for the future management of Tasmania’s public native forests to an unelected group of big business, big union, and big environment – and has excluded the Tasmanian people from having their say;
2. According to modelling undertaken by the so-called Independent Verification Group, the Agreement will cost up to 1,600 direct and indirect Tasmanian jobs;
3. The vital Triabunna woodchip mill has not re-opened, as required in clause 32 of the Agreement;
4. The Agreement has failed to deliver the pulp mill, with the Greens and ENGOs continuing to campaign against the project and to warn off investors;
5. The verification work undertaken as part of the Agreement was skewed in favour of a Green outcome, with minimal analysis on the impact on job impacts, compared with the extensive examination of environmental values;
6. The Agreement has delivered almost exactly the same disastrous economic outcome as that proposed by former Federal Labor Leader Mark Latham in 2004, but for only a third as much compensation he offered;
7. The Government has no mandate to deliver this change, by not taking this policy to the Tasmanian people at the last state election, and indeed having promised to do the exact opposite;
8. this deal has not, and will not deliver the “peace” that has been promised.

Will Hodgman is Leader of the Opposition

The Liberals’ vision is for a Tasmania with a growing economy that generates the wealth and prosperity to create jobs and fund essential services like health, education and public safety. A Tasmania where we stand on our own two feet, and where we are not dependent on hand-outs and bail-outs from the rest of the country.

A key part of this vision is our plan to support and build the five pillars of Tasmania’s Future Economy – Resources, Agriculture and Fisheries, Energy, Education and Technology, and Tourism.

Unlike Labor and the Greens, a Liberal Government will not pick winners, look for silver bullets, or worse still, shut industries down.

Rather, by strengthening these Five Pillars, which will underpin the health of our future economy, other sectors in our economy will benefit and grow, such as retailing, manufacturing, the service economy, property and construction – as will the critical small business sector, which is the engine room of our economy.

Some of the specific policies we will implement include:

• Rip up the forestry deal and provide resource security in forestry
• Provide full electricity competition and carbon free power to make Tasmania the most competitive place to do business
• Extend all high schools to year 12
• Fight for a nationally funded Basslink II to harness our renewable energy advantage
• Invest in new renewable energy capacity
• Aim for 1.5 million visitors to the State each year
• Say “yes” rather than “no” to tourism developments
• Free Tourism Tasmania from its bureaucratic straitjacket
• Back bio-energy and bio-fuels
• Work with the University of Tasmania to attract more international students
• Oppose the lock-up of the Tarkine
• Leverage off our brand to grow our agricultural sector
• Support the family farm
• Encourage investment in on-farm renewable energy
• Create Biosecurity Tasmania to protect our borders
• Oppose new Marine Protected Areas

To review our Future Directions statements and the speech Will Hodgman gave to the TICT click here.

Expect to hear more about our positive plans for the future of Tasmania throughout 2012.

Parliament resumes today – and there is much to concern Tasmania’s political representatives because of the pain and anxiety being felt by many families and communities vulnerable to government policies formed out of political expediency.

With the impending 3 month temporary shutdown of TEMCO and speculative fears for the future of Pacific Aluminium (aka Comalco) our community needs to fully appreciate and value these 1000 direct jobs and 400 suppliers. It’s all part of our economic base, availability of income for our society, substantial share of the electricity network charges and major users of the Bell Bay port. Without these industries, frankly we are all poorer.

Blueberries are no substitute, and the mere suggestion is an appalling insult to the intelligence of our Northern community.

While the high dollar and lower commodity prices are certainly at issue, the Labor Party’s new carbon and mining taxes are substantial factors too. We should have nothing to do with political ideologies which are willing to pick employment winners and losers from the distant heights of political power – far from the families and communities which will be affected.

People get hurt.

I have been on the phone this morning to the management of TEMCO, at Bell Bay regarding the bad news of the current shutdown of the manganese smelter. It’s at times like this that a largely unaware public become aware of the importance of heavy industry and manufacturing jobs to our Northern economy and community.

I am very anxious for the future of local employment when we are faced with a high dollar, sluggish alloy values and a looming (job-destroying) carbon tax which will only harm our own competitiveness.

Today I assure direct and contract employees as well as local engineering businesses that I strongly support their industry and will do all I can to oppose Labor-Green policies which take food off Tasmanian family tables.

Our island state desperately needs to have a diversified economy, not one where the Government picks off one at a time just to stay in office. That’s why manufacturing, aquaculture, mining, forestry and agriculture (all opposed by the Greens, who are in government) need our strong political and community support.

Finally, this is what Acting Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Rockliff said today in relation to TEMCO:

Reports today that up to 400 more Tasmanians are at risk of losing their job, this time at TEMCO, is a disaster for the Tasmanian economy.

The Liberals empathise with the workers that are facing an uncertain future, and their families. We have spoken to representatives of TEMCO management this morning to gain a better insight into the challenges they are facing.

What is clear is that Lara Giddings year of ‘jobs, jobs, jobs’ is quickly becoming the year of job losses, with 1,000 Tasmanians losing their jobs on her watch, in the past two months.

Tasmania already has the highest unemployment rate in Australia and Ms Giddings has proven herself incapable of doing what is needed to turn the economy around.

In contrast the Liberals’ have an economic blueprint for a self-reliant Tasmania. We will grow the economy by supporting the Five Pillars of Tasmania’s Future Economy, creating jobs and the wealth needed to fund essential services the current Government is winding back.

At a time when the Tasmanian economy is struggling, the forestry industry is being dismantled, thousands of jobs have been lost this year alone and the unstable Green-Labor Government is struggling to hold itself together the news of Rio Tinto’s intention to sell its Bell Bay smelter will unfortunately create even more uncertainty, especially in the North.

Rio Tinto’s Bell Bay smelter is one of Tasmania’s largest single employers, and the State simply can’t afford to lose these jobs.

The Liberals strongly support the Bell Bay smelter and the wealth and jobs it creates for Tasmania.

We have seen recently that the cost of production at the smelter has risen by $3 million a year due to the loss of reliable shipping services from Bell Bay.

The Green-Labor Government must do everything it can to ensure a competitive operating environment so that the smelter has a long-term future.

Joint media release with my Bass colleague Peter Gutwein MP