World Heritage Funding slashed

Federal funding for Tasmania's Wilderness World Heritage Area has been slashed by two thirds (see table), Australian Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.

This week's announcement of $3.4 million funding simply carried forward the Howard government's cut every year since 2001. In 2007 dollar terms, funding peaked in 1997 at $10.22 million and will fall next year to $3.294 million.

"In the meantime hundreds of millions of taxpayers' dollars have flowed into the woodchip industry - it is a perverse funding priority which advantages the job-shedding logging industry over the job-creating tourism and hospitality industries," Senator Brown said.

"I intend to pursue the Rudd government in the Senate to get parity with previous years funding restored.

"Amongst many others drawbacks, these cuts have seen dozens of skilled, committed national parks workers, including rangers, leave because their professions see the World Heritage Area and Tasmania's national parks woefully under funded by both state and federal governments," Senator Brown said.

Commonwealth Funding to Tasmanian Wilderness WHA
     

 
* 2007-08 Dollars
Source: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts

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Ebony Bennett
Media Advisor
Senator Bob Brown | Leader of the Australian Greens
e: ebony.bennett@aph.gov.au
m: 0409 164 603 | p: (02) 6277 3170 | f: (02) 6277 3185
w: www.bobbrown.org.au <http://www.bobbrown.org.au/>   <http://www.greens.org.au>