Money trough refilled

Just in the last 6-8 months the logging industry has received $800,000, $42.6 million, another $80 million and most recently $9 million has been given over to tart up logging towns that might lose out due to the cut-backs.

Before Christmas, Daishowa announced they would be more fussy about the quality of wood theyd take from East Gippsland. The industry went into a panic, bullied Bracks and he quickly handed over $800,000 of tax payers money to placate them (as if we tax payers are responsible for Daishowas fussy habits). Then there was the $42.6 million restructure money supposedly to counter the result of the RFAs (that gave the woodchippers everything they demanded).

In April we saw another $80 million offered to them after the government admitted it had stuffed up counting trees for the past 30 years, and $100,000 to the industry lobby group “Timber Towns”. In late May Bracks gave out another $9 million to polish up the facades of logging towns to attract tourists. This is at least a small step in the right direction but when will it all stop? Wheres the mega-millions to the hundreds of rural adventure tourism operators who are now on the dole due to greedy insurance companies?

Many are rightly asking if its the large political donors that run Labors agenda on forests. Teachers or nurses go out on strike and theyre told theyre a pack of winging bludgers. The industry organises an illegal jaunt to blockade Melbournes streets with their trucks and they get rewarded with oodles of moola.

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