Qld: Govt defends forest sell-off plan

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2010
Qld: Govt defends forest sell-off plan

BRISBANE, April 20 AAP - The Queensland government says it will honour two key planks
of its sale of forestry assets, despite concerns held by the industry.

The state's timber industry is reconsidering its support of the Bligh government's
$4 billion forestry asset sale.

Peak industry body Timber Queensland says it supported the sale of government-owned
plantation grower Forestry Plantations Queensland (FPQ) based on conditions outlined by
the government.

They included that all plantation timber land would continue to be used for forestry,
and not housing development, and the 1999 commitment to a hardwood plantation would be
honoured.

Timber Queensland chief executive Rod McGuiness says he's sought assurances from the
government but has heard nothing despite final bids being due next week.

Mr McGuiness accused the government of "whittling away" the size of plantations to
bring about a deal.

He says that could cost jobs and force Queensland to seek its timber from overseas.

"This is a government that can't be trusted," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"The whole sale process was predicated upon business as usual in the plantations, the
completion of the hardwood estate and the growth and expansion of our industry."

But with the government unable to provide "sensible answers", the industry felt they
would be short changed, Mr McGuiness said.

A spokesman for Treasurer Andrew Fraser said in a statement the freehold land included
in the FPQ sale, at Beerburrum north of Brisbane, was outside the urban footprint which
meant it was not zoned for development.

Mr Fraser later issued a statement promising the hardwood plantations would be established
by 2025 under the sale agreement.

But Mr McGuiness said the plantations were supposed to be established by 2015.

And he did not trust zoning could not be changed to allow land to be sold for development
in the future.

"Some years ago we had a huge pine plantation estate that was feeding the Petrie paper
mill," he said.

"... There's not one tree left. That is all now Caloundra Downs housing estate."

Opposition treasury spokesman Tim Nicholls said the government's sale plan would damage
the timber industry and put further pressure on housing costs in southeast Queensland.

"The LNP shares the concerns of the timber industry that the fire-sale of FPQ will
damage the supply of timber for housing construction in southeast Queensland," Mr Nicholls
said.

AAP jmm/pjo/maur

KEYWORD: TIMBER WRAP

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