Former forestry contractors are warning that the Tasmanian Government’s plan for a new hardship fund will not go far enough. Source: ABC News
Tasmania’s Resources Minister Paul Harriss has confirmed that Cabinet has ticked off on a $1 million compensation fund for workers affected by the forestry downturn.
The money is in addition to the $85 million already paid over the years in compensation after the collapse of forestry giant Gunns.
Road contractor Anton Harris, who missed out on earlier grants, warned the money allocated for the new fund was nowhere near enough.
“There’s a few of us on the roading side of things who lost everything, and, yeah, this is not even the tip of the iceberg, mate,” he said.
“I’d say if it’s a million dollars it’s not enough for all the contractors that missed out.”
Mr Harris hoped the payments would be means-tested.
“I suppose it’s an individual thing because some suffered more than others,” he said.
“Some people lost everything, some didn’t, so how the Government balances that out in a fairness point of view I don’t really know.”
Mr Harris believed road builders like himself had often been overlooked by previous compensation schemes.
“Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” he asked. “How did the logging contractors get in there to get paid out, mate, if it wasn’t for the roading contractors?”
The Minister, Mr Harriss, hoped the finer details of the plan would be finished soon.
“We are right now putting together the program, the final components of the program, so then we can call for applications from those who feel they might qualify,” he said.
The Minister did not provide any details about eligibility, how workers could apply for a share and whether the payments would be means-tested, but he did have a rough timeframe.
“I certainly want to get that done as quickly as we possibly can,” he said. “I would be really hopeful that we could get it nailed by the end of the year.”
Mr Harriss would not be drawn on whether certain contractors, like road workers, would be prioritised.
