E&OE….
Topics: Tasmanian World Heritage Area, Great Barrier Reef
TONY JONES:
The Federal Environment Minister Greg Hunt has been in Germany for the UNESCO meeting. He joined us earlier from Bonn. Greg Hunt, thanks for being there.
GREG HUNT:
Pleasure.
TONY JONES:
Can we just establish one principle at the outset? If the UN ultimately says no to any plan to resume logging or to start mining in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, will the Federal Government accept that ruling?
GREG HUNT:
Look, let's be clear. I'm here in Bonn. We've just had an extraordinary success for Australia where the global umpire, the World Heritage Committee has not just decided that the Great Barrier Reef won't be on the World Heritage List, but that Australia is a global role model – that's what they've said for our World Heritage management.
And we're working very constructively on the next issue and the Tasmanian Government has invited a team from the World Heritage Committee to come out and work with them on the draft management plan. So I am completely confident that the Tasmanian Government and the World Heritage Committee will achieve an outcome which protects the outstanding universal values – that's the test under the World Heritage Convention – maintains them and indeed improves them for the magnificent Tasmanian wilderness.
TONY JONES:
Ok. Last year your Government tried to have 74,000 hectares removed from the area so that it could be logged. The World Heritage Committee took seven minutes to say no to that. Do you accept its ultimate authority to determine what happens in that area in terms of logging and mining?
GREG HUNT:
Well we did accept that decision and your characterisation of it isn't correct, with respect. The reason why a variation was put forward to what had just been an extension was some concerns about the quality. However, we accepted that entirely. We accepted the motion which went through the World Heritage Committee in the last 24 hours, a very constructive motion about working with Tasmania on World Heritage. And most significantly, we've accepted and embraced the decision of the global umpire to make it clear that the Great Barrier Reef is not in danger. It's a unique property and it's being managed in a way which they have declared is a model to the rest of the world.
TONY JONES:
We've heard you speaking about the Reef already today and this is the – this is now the contentious issue. So, the UN's expert advisors say that a number of changes that are being proposed in the Tasmanian Government's draft management plan would appear to directly threaten the protection of the outstanding universal value of the property. They go on to cite logging and mining operations. Are they wrong?
GREG HUNT:
Well, what happened yesterday is a proposal went through. The Tasmanian and Commonwealth governments supported it and I'd been working with the Tasmanian Minister, also with the Premier. The very interesting thing here is it's a draft management plan. It was put out precisely in absolutely the right way by Tasmania for consultation. I'll let them speak to the draft management plan, but they are the ones that actually invited a team from the World Heritage Committee out and the World Heritage Committee has delightedly accepted it.
TONY JONES:
Today's statement from the Committee urges the State party, that's Tasmania, to ensure that commercial logging and mining are not permitted on the entire property. That's today's statement. It's a reiteration of what they said in the past. It's pretty clear, isn't it, that they don't want logging or mining?
GREG HUNT:
Oh, look, the statement is exactly as you've set out. And I am completely confident, and there's no shades of grey in this at all, completely confident that Tasmania and the World Heritage Committee will find a perfect resolution.
TONY JONES:
Ok, but the – as I said, the global umpire has been quite unequivocal on this. On mining the UN says the Tasmanian plan appears to create potential logging operations and that the World Heritage Committee has repeatedly reiterated its position that mineral exploitation and exploration is incompatible with World Heritage status. Are you prepared …
GREG HUNT:
Well my understanding…
TONY JONES:
Are you prepared to say unequivocally there will never be any mining operations in the World Heritage Area in Tasmania?
GREG HUNT:
Look, I will let Tasmania speak for itself. But my understanding, having spoken with the Minister and the Permanent Secretary only over the last few days, is there are no plans, there is no intention, there is no expectation of mining at any stage in the foreseeable future, and beyond that, I can't imagine that that would ever be occurring.
TONY JONES:
The Tasmanian Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff has said today there'll be no large-scale logging in our World Heritage areas, no large-scale logging. He seems to be opening up the possibility of smaller-scale logging. Is that acceptable at all? It certainly doesn't appear to be to the World Heritage Committee.
GREG HUNT:
Look, again, the point there is Tasmania has ruled out logging per se. The only issue which Tasmania and the World Heritage Committee will need to work through is the question of whether or not there is a specialty timbers selection for boat building, a particular type of Huon pine here for an individual tree – that sort of thing. They will work that out. I am extremely confident of that.
TONY JONES:
Ok, final quick question then. If that World Heritage Committee delegation says, “No logging, no mining whatsoever,” as they've said up until now, will you say that they are the global umpire and we agree to that?
GREG HUNT:
Well, look, we've always supported their role, but I will say this – I remember in many of our discussions, hypothetical’s have been put which have never come to pass. And I will say this – my belief, my expectation, my confidence is absolute that there will be an utterly agreed, unified position between the Tasmanian Government and the World Heritage Committee.
Will Hodgman, Matt Groom, the Premier and the Environment Minister are passionate about the protection of Tasmania's environment and the outstanding universal values. They could not be more passionate. They have done a great job so far and they'll get it right in working with the committee.
TONY JONES:
Greg Hunt, we'll have to leave you there. We're out of time. Thank you very much for joining us.
GREG HUNT:
Thanks, Tony.
(ENDS)