As the Tasmanian election approaches, the result of a no-confidence motion in the minority Liberal government, there has been no mainstream discussion about mitigating climate change and a just transition for workers and the environment.
Instead, the public is being treated to a lot of finger pointing and vague entreats to 鈥済et the state back on track鈥.
It is incredible that in a state renown for its wilderness, for the environment. The Liberals have outlined a policy to expand tourism infrastructure through parks and hiking trails, and have made vague commitments to protecting threatened species, while championing a 鈥渨orld class鈥 salmon industry聽鈥 despite its environmental record.
Tasmania鈥檚 environmental degradation is not accidental. Successive governments have been happy to acquiesce to logging corporations, backing in their profiteering from resource extraction without a thought to any form of sustainability.
This is being shown in two of the state鈥檚 most ecologically destructive industries 鈥 salmon farming and native forest logging.
The salmon farming industry, touted as critical for the state鈥檚 economy, now produces an estimated 4193 tonnes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen each year, which is devastating marine ecosystems. estimates that this is six times the output of the state鈥檚 entire sewage system.
Despite this, the Liberal government has refused to enforce meaningful regulation and has, in fact, further diluted what little regulatory power the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act had over the industry.
This decision flows from the state鈥檚 refusal to disrupt profit flows to corporations 鈥 something more people are now questioning.
Statistics from the , cited by 聽(TAI), state that over the last decade, revenue from the salmon industry has doubled from $543 million in 2013鈥14 to $1.35 billion in 2022鈥23. Total revenue over the decade was $8.78 billion.
Despite this, the three biggest salmon farms have paid nearly zero tax.
鈥淲hilst tax is paid on the basis of profits not revenue, the total tax paid over an 11-year period by the salmon industry was just 0.6% of its revenue,鈥 Rod Campbell said in his report for TAI, .
This implies one of two things: Either the industry is deeply unprofitable; or there are zero regulations on the multi-national corporations to pay tax.
Likewise, native forest logging continues to eradicate precious old-growth forests. According to Professor , in an interview for the ABC last year, logging emits 4.56 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, more than any other sector in Tasmania.
Logging is a net cost the state. Just 885 people work in the native and plantation logging forestry sector. Yet, millions are paid out each year in public subsidies, insurance liabilities and infrastructure repair, according to a .
While the major parties support this, the , on the other hand, have an action plan that includes an end to all native forest logging and a ban on all new fossil fuel projects. The Greens also want all industries to commit to an emission reduction plan and more state investment in communities that are bearing the brunt of climate change now.
, Independent MP for Braddon, is also calling on the incoming government to honour a 2010 commitment to ensure Tasmania鈥檚 high conservation value forests are permanently protected. He is also championing state and federal protection for the Boullanger Bay wetlands.
, an independent running for Franklin, is also committing to no new coal, oil or gas extraction.