Page 3570 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 18 September 2019
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and plastics in one product or another, I am not a physicist or a chemist. I am not inclined to come in here quoting numbers that are highly disputed, especially when there seem to be an awful lot of dubious claims and political agendas behind them. Members will see that the only numbers I have in my motion relate to the Ingledene Forest, and those are from reliable, published sources produced by highly professional and valued public servants.
My motion avoids the perils of politicians claiming outsized expertise on policy detail. Our public servants, scientists, construction workers, architects, engineers and forestry workers should be respected for their expertise and advice. My motion comes from a far more principled and appropriate perspective.
What do we need? Buildings made of lower carbon emissions products. Trees are best for that. They are not just low emissions; they are negative emissions. They suck carbon dioxide from the air. Grow it, cut it down, put it in a building that lasts a long time, and then grow more and do the same thing. Our buildings then contribute to reducing carbon in the atmosphere rather than increasing it.
Where should we do it? As close as possible to where we are building the buildings. This saves on the carbon cost of transportation. It is also a great source of work for locals.
What sorts of trees? That is a matter for experts. There are places, such as Ingledene, where pine is appropriate. In other areas there is also a terrific opportunity to grow native eucalypt hardwoods.
What other benefits do we get? Forests can provide great tourism and recreational activities, be that walking, orienteering, rally car driving, camping, horse riding or so many other activities whilst the forest is growing. They also provide amenity and enjoyment for both locals and tourists. Modern forestry practices also provide habitat for many of our wonderful native animals.
As we adapt to climate change in our development of forestry practice we must acknowledge the failures of the past. The old approach of clear felling and land clearing old growth forests has been consigned to the history books. Likewise, a view that takes the terra nullius approach that the land was somehow virgin or untouched by human hands before white settlement must also be abandoned. Our policies going forward must use the best science we have, but also the culture of husbandry and active land management shown by our first nations peoples.
Wood is a great product. In developing our climate change policies we should, among many other things, be looking at how we can increase the use of local forestry products in our construction industry.
I now seek leave to move an amendment to my motion which includes a new paragraph.
Leave granted.
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