Tasmania’s Resources Minister has demanded Sustainable Timber Tasmania review its procurement policies after a Victorian company secured a major haulage contract over a local contractor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As revealed by the Sunday Tasmanian<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Huon Valley company T.P Bennett and Sons<\/a> has lost a major southern timber haulage contract, raising fears of local job losses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a Monday media statement<\/a>, Mr Ellis asked Tasmania’s state-owned forestry company to pause all tenders and review the southern haulage contract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I have asked Sustainable Timber Tasmania (STT) to provide urgent advice on how the Tasmanian Government can best support our forestry industry in the wake of (Victorian Premier) Dan Andrews’ decision to slam the door shut on their native forest sector,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Whilst I await this advice, STT will not release any further harvest and transport tenders.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Ellis, Victorian Labor government exit packages for timber businesses, as reported by Wood Central<\/a>, have led companies looking to move into the Tasmania market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It’s also an opportunity to bring more people in, but there’s a threat in terms of businesses because there is a clear market distortion; Daniel Andrews has given $825m at least of taxpayers’ money to subsidise people to go away and do something else,” Ells said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “That is a clear threat to our industry here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Mercury reports that Labor MP Dean Winter<\/a>, who wrote to the minister seeking a formal review of the southern haulage contract, said Ellis had previously welcomed Victorian workers to Tasmania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “When responding to a question about the shutdown of native forestry in Victoria in late May, Minister Ellis said, ‘We are looking forward to bringing those people down here to bolster our capability and supply’,” Mr Winter said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Despite pretending to be blindsided, he’s been planning an assault on local forestry jobs for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Minister Ellis needs to explain why the local benefits test was absent in the tender process that Bennett’s and its local subcontractors missed out on. Did he remove it as part of his plan he foreshadowed in late May?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Former Liberal MP John Tucker<\/a> joined Labor, blaming Mr Ellis, describing his handling of the situation as totally “inept”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Ellis appealed to Mr Tucker, saying they were “of one mind” when supporting local timber jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We need to be united around this. Both John and I are big supporters of the industry, and we are of one mind in that we want to make sure Tasmanian timber supports Tasmanian jobs,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “There is a significant threat from the left side of politics that has been caught up in this madness around shutting down one of the most sustainable industries.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forestry has been a political hot-button topic in Tasmania following the decision by the Victorian and West Australian governments to lock up native forests.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAnother Forest War on Cards in Tasmania?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n