MEDIA RELEASE FROM CRAIG INGRAM MP - MEMBER FOR GIPPSLAND EAST Issued: Thursday, 30 November 2006

Print

Government must evict timber protesters: Ingram

The Independent Member for Gippsland East, Craig Ingram, has called on the government to evict and arrest protesters in East Gippsland logging coups, to protect timber workers going about their legitimate and lawful work.

“These are the radical groups that both Labor and the Liberals have pandered to when they sold out the timber industry during the election,” Mr Ingram said.

“I hope that they are satisfied that those same groups are now breaking the law, still not content at the commitments given by government.

“I do not believe that the government can deliver on its commitment of no job losses without identifying coups currently contained in Special Management Zones (SMZ), as is consistent with the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA).

“The industry must have continued access to its current identified logging coups until the government proves they can deliver its no job loss commitment and explain to the industry where the sawlogs will come from.

“The government must also release the Steedman/Gooding report, which its no net job loss assumptions are based on.

Mr Ingram said the protestors’ time would be better spent identifying suitable areas within the management zones to replace the lost resource and proposed new parks.

“The government must not allow the ongoing protests of a radical minority group to interfere with the legitimate, lawful work of the timber industry,” Mr Ingram concluded.