Labor chooses politics over fire safety

Daniel Andrews’ decision to ban Victoria’s native timber industry will weaken the capacity for country communities to fight devastating forest fires, says Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party Cindy McLeish.

Each year tens of millions of dollars’ worth of additional equipment, including more than 75 excavators and dozers, are made available by timber contractors to fight forest fires.

Yesterday in Parliament, Labor’s Environment Minister, Lily D’Ambrosio, refused to guarantee that no lives will be lost as a result of Labor’s decision to close Victoria’s sustainable native timber industry.

Victoria’s native timber industry contractors have intimate knowledge of the difficult and often dangerous terrain of Victoria’s forests and high country.

Under Labor’s plan the native timber workers who played such a central role in saving country communities during major bushfires including on Black Saturday will no longer be able to protect the community.

Comments attributable to Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, Cindy McLeish:

“Labor has chosen politics over the safety of fire prone areas of Victoria.”

“Daniel Andrews doesn’t care that communities will be placed at increased risk from bushfire because of Labor’s planned destruction of the native timber industry.”

 

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