The Tasmanian Government has accused the Greens of comparing timber from Tasmanian forests to blood diamonds in Africa. Source: ABC News
Greens Leader Kim Booth has authorised an internet poster that claims Tas Forest products are conflict forest products.
The poster has been uploaded to the party’s Tasmanian Facebook page with the tagline Thanks Liberals.
Resources Minister Paul Harriss told Parliament the term “conflict forest products” was a clear reference to minerals extracted from war zones in developing countries.
“The deliberate use of the phrase ‘conflict forest products’ is clearly an attempt to link the Tasmanian forest industry and the people who are working in it with conflict minerals and conflict diamonds in Africa,” he said.
The comment drew a rowdy response from Franklin Greens MP Nick McKim who was reprimanded by Speaker Elise Archer.
Denison Greens MP Cassy O’Connor later asked Ms Archer to order Mr Harriss to retract his comment and also took aim at Liberal MP Sarah Courtney for seeking his response to the poster.
“The Minister’s comments and indeed the question are offensive and unbecoming,” she told Parliament. “I feel personally aggrieved by them as a Green – to be associated with rape and with murder – and I ask the Minister to withdraw.”
Ms Archer disagreed and refused to order the comments be withdrawn.
Later Mr Harriss stuck by the comments.
“They are clearly trying to link our forests – demonising our forests in international markets – to conflict resources elsewhere in the world,” he told reporters. “I, like Ms O’Connor, am highly offended by the content of that poster.
“They should take the poster down from their Facebook page,” Mr Harriss said.
Labor’s Lara Giddings described the debate as a stunt, comparing it to the use of a toy chalkboard by Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff.
“All we’re seeing from this Government is question time being used as an opportunity to try to thump the opposition,” Ms Giddings said. “It’s about time they grew up, it’s about time they accepted that they are the government, they are no longer in opposition and that behaviour should not be tolerated.”
