Senator Ricky Muir has this afternoon said in the Senate he will support exemptions for heavy industry and the inclusion of electricity generation from burning native forests within the Renewable Energy Target.

"Exemptions for heavy industry and inclusion of energy generated from burning native forests in the Renewable Energy Target would be a disaster. It would do even more to destroy confidence in Australian clean energy," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

Press conference transcript: Draft management plan for Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and Abbott's attack on Medicare - Hobart 15 January 2015.

Speakers: Senator Christine Milne and Tasmanian MP Nick McKim

28 August 2014

Tasmanian brand trashed by logging decision

“The Legislative Council has trashed Tasmania’s brand by backing the government’s move to log our high conservation value forests,” Senator Christine Milne said today.

“Many Tasmanian businesses rely on our clean, green brand – turning the state into an industrial logging playground will trash it.

Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne has praised the World Heritage Committee decision overnight to uphold Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage boundaries as a victory for common sense.

"This is a great win for the forests, for wildlife and for Tasmania," Senator Milne said.

"It's been clear for decades that these forests are of world heritage value, the only person unable to see it is Tony Abbott.

The Abbott government's argument that large areas of Tasmania's World Heritage Area are degraded and should be delisted has been blown out of the water by its own Environment Department at a Senate hearing in Canberra today, say the Australian Greens.

"The Environment Department has confirmed that only 4% of the area the government wants to remove from the Tasmanian World Heritage Area had been disturbed," said Greens Leader and Tasmanian Senator Christine Milne, who initiated the inquiry.

Senator MILNE (Tasmania-Leader of the Australian Greens) (18:03): I rise today to take note of the honourable Greg Hunt's letter relating to the Gunns pulp mill and, most particularly, the call that the Senate made to commit to maintaining the environmental requirement that excludes wood sourced from native forests from being used as feedstock for any pulp mill.

The Australian Greens Leader, Senator Christine Milne, explains why there will be no global market for the wood sourced from Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area following the Abbott government's ideological attack on forests.

The Australian Greens say Tony Abbott's claim that Australia has too much protected forest is wrong and will concern Australians who treasure our precious national parks and forests.

"Families and communities treasure our national parks. Tony Abbott is completely out of touch," Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

"Tony Abbott's anti-environment agenda is also anti-jobs. There is no economic future for Australia in trashing our precious native forests and national parks.

Federal Labor's announcement today that Tasmanian regional development money will be decoupled from forest conservation shows they can't be trusted on the environment, Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne said today.

"Throughout this process we've said money for the industry or regions should be tied to conservation outcomes so the rug couldn't be pulled out at the last minute," Senator Milne said.

"Today, we see federal Labor's final betrayal in their promise to ensure long-term forest conservation in Tasmania.