2024-03-14
Tabatha Badger | Lead Candidate for Lyons
The Greens have backed Lorinna residents calling for a local water catchment area currently used as plantation forest to be returned to mixed native vegetation forest as a severe lack of water now threatens agricultural activity in the area.
Forty nine of the town’s 77 residents have signed a letter to Sustainable Timbers Tasmania (STT) requesting it reclaim and improve management of the land it’s leased to Reliance Forest Fibre – a company based in the Cayman Islands which didn't exist until two months before the Liberals sold off 29,000 hectares of public plantation to it in 2017, for around $40 million to $55 million less than it cost taxpayers to establish them.
In their letter to STT, Lorina residents said “the current situation of threatened water security profoundly affects us, impacting all agricultural activity we conduct in this area” and that “we believe this to be a significant oversight, and to remedy the situation respectfully request that the lease granted to Reliance Forest Fibre for 99 years be purchased back by STT.”
“It’s one thing for the Liberals to sign a dodgy deal and sell off public land to commercial interests for an absolute steal, but it’s willful neglect to then walk away from people who are now hurting as a consequence.
“By failing to act the Liberals are robbing Tasmanians twice: once of their land, and again of their livelihoods that depend on it.
"Ignoring this situation is unacceptable. A commitment must be made today by all sides of politics to fix this mess by returning the land to mixed vegetation native forest so it can properly function as a healthy local water catchment, which is critical to the survival of Lorinna's agricultural community."