18 November, 2010

When talk is cheap

Tim Cleary, Werribee
The Age (letter), 18 November 2010

ONE of the reasons the Tasmanian forest peace plan got so far was because it was initiated by the participants. The state government stayed out of it until the last minute.

In contrast, the Victorian ALP has committed to getting loggers to talk with greenies from the outset (''Loggers, greenies arguing already'', The Age 17/11). The last time this happened was during the regional forest agreements of the 1990s, which provided no certainty for either side - that's why they are still arguing.

Another possible solution is for the Victorian native forest industry to attain certification to the Forest Stewardship Council standard. This would mean that the loggers would need to improve their standards, and the domestic environmentalists would need to recognise international best practice, not be stuck on commie-hippie-greenie-nimbyism.

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