VicForests – welfare bludgers extraordinaire

The BIG industry!

The VicForests Annual Report was tabled in Parliament this week (13/9/12). They made another loss.

And this year, VicForests is dressing up the loss with a new excuse. The argument that the bushfires are to blame for their past losses has worn thin so they are now blaming us. Fancy – little enviro groups having as big an impact as a decade of bushfires! VicForests continues to break the law, but blames community groups for being audacious enough to drag them into court.

But seriously – their $96,000 loss would have to be an understatement. Their book-cookers are quite clever at hiding costs and switching losses into the profits column and so on.

Even the unemployed need to meet certain obligations before they get benefits, but not VicForests. Our taxes are freely handed to them year in year out without even a blush from our ‘economic rationalist’ Baillieu government.

Eight years ago this semi-corporate entity was set up with the purpose of becoming an economically viable business. It has proven it is a born loser, so why do successive governments keep feeding this destructive hooligan called VicForests? Many people have suspected that political parties are on the take. Some say it’s just the nature of the boys club, where they happily back slap away despite the cost. Whatever it is, the Baillieu National Party government and its ministers in charge can’t keep excusing such losses while sacking 400-500 staff in DPI and DSE, yet funding silly research into panthers.

VicForests and its government is pushing the boundaries of decency, democracy and the public good.

This analysis by MyEnvironment shows that VicForests owes the people of Victoria at least $40-60 million in unpaid dividends for the privilege of exploiting public forests

 

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