TAP spokesman scathing of industry support package

TAP spokesman Bob McMahon writing on the Tasmanian Times today....

..TAP is part of the process and has always been part of the process. There are many members of TAP who have a thorough knowledge of forestry and forest (mis)management over the years, as well as a knowledge of the lengths to which government will cook the books to aid and abet certain elements of the benighted logging industry.

TAP’s view of yet another Labor handout to the logging industry is very similar, and I would guess identical, to the views of a logging contractor with whom I spent Friday morning in discussion.
I promised I would represent his views in upcoming discussions next week.
In brief, he was totally opposed (in extremely pithy terms) to the government throwing money, money that should be spent on health or housing, at a dead horse. The reasons are many and it is not possible to canvas them here, nor is it possible to even mention some of them in public. Grubby stuff as you can guess.
The message of opposition to hand-outs is coming to me loud and clear from just about everyone I bump into. People are implacably opposed to Bryan Green playing the hero and throwing bundles of money at his chosen mates. Do we have an audit on where the last rescue package ended up and on what it was spent? Let natural selection run its course is the clear message outside the halls of power and influence.
When the beggars in the logging industry, like Terry Edwards, Chippers and a bunch of contractors, talk of supporting the industry until the good times roll round again, they mean until such time as the pulp mill gets built.
Give ‘em nothing and take ‘em nowhere. It’s transition time boys and girls. Get on board or die like the dinosaur in the tar pit.


Posted by Bob McMahon on 14/05/10 at 06:08 PM