Australian Minister Says RFAs Will Be Done by Year's End
9/22/99
*******************************
RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Title: Australian Minister Says RFAs Will Be Done by Year's End
Source: Environment News Service
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: September 22, 1999
CANBERRA, Australia, September 22, 1999 (ENS) - Australia's federal
Forests and Conservation Minister Wilson Tuckey pledged Saturday to
complete the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) process by the end of
the year. The RFAs are agreements made by the federal government with
each Australian state to set aside some forested lands for
conservation and reserve other lands for commercial timber
harvesting. The process has been controversial, sparking
disagreements between state and federal governments and arousing
protests on the part of loggers and conservationists alike.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra, Tuckey said,
"Already six RFAs have been completed resulting in a reserve system
of some 5.4 million hectares across the six regions, equivalent to
around a third of the whole geographic area of those regions."
There have been initial investment proposals of around $100 million
by private sector businesses built on the certainty provided under
the RFAs and potential industry development assistance, the minister
said.
"The most powerful myth is that the Australian tall forest is
disappearing whereas it is in fact expanding," Tuckey declared.
Denying allegations that the RFAs have been written behind closed
doors, the minister called the RFA process "one of the most open and
consultative processes conducted by governments" where an enormous
amount of material associated with the RFA process and the final RFA
documents and maps are publicly available on the Internet and through
the mail.
"I make no apology for standing up for these industries and the
communities that support them, and particularly given the conflict
and anguish they have had to endure. That is the reason why we as a
Government are absolutely committed to completing the remaining RFA's
this year, securing the resource remaining to timber communities, and
then working with them to building a solid and certain future,"
Tuckey said.
Completing the remaining RFA's this year will be difficult, he
acknowledged, but expressed confidence that the goal would be
reached.
"While the RFAs are about providing certainty to those involved in
native forest businesses, this government is also delivering
additional resource through plantations and farm forestry. I am
providing equal effort in addressing the needs of the future and my
government's policy commitment to remove Australia's $1.5 billion
deficit in forest products," Tuckey said yet again as he has said
many times this year.