LETTER TO THE EDITOR

27 December 1999

The member for Corangamite has asserted that a number of false arguments have been raised recently in relation to timber harvesting in the Otways (GA 27/12). Mr Macarthur would be better placed to comment on this subject had he attended any of the West Regional Forest Agreement public meetings held in Geelong, including the recent "Water Summit".

Fortunately, the new Minister for Environment and Conservation Sherryl Garbutt MP takes this issue very seriously. She has recently released "A New Framework for Sustainable Forest Management in Victoria Dec 14" which is an open-minded look at the forestry issues which confront us all. It calls for a much more open and accountable public consultation process in relation to the Regional Forest Agreement and recognises that "The initiatives announced in this statement will require some re-orientation of the activities of Government departments." Perhaps some Federal re-orientation will also be required.

Minister Garbutt’s intention to get the stakeholders to talk through the issues was made very clear last week when she brought together in a social atmosphere not only the timber and woodchip industry, the unions, the conservationists and NRE but also the police, charged with protecting our civil rights.

These are good first steps that need to be followed up with a structured consultation process that extends past the arbitrary March 31st deadline.

Progress in this debate will only be made through good science, good politics, unbiased media coverage and a respect for human rights.

Stuart McCallum
Geelong Community Forum