The Timber Jobs Scare Campaign CupBy NEIL CREMASCOAnd they’re off! State Labor’s flea-bitten old nag, “Timber Jobs Scare-Campaign”, has been saddled back up and trotted back out in response to wispy, pre election rumours from the Big Island, about the protection of high conservation value forests in Tasmania. While Big Red gets winched into the saddle and thrashes the groaning old hack on the bony rump to get her off to a festinating trot, the shocked punters lunge for their Nokias to summon the RSPCA. Over the sickening sound of splitting jodhpurs, Big Red bellows back at the punters that “honest logging families will be off to the poorhouse, log truck drivers will have to sell their body parts and, worst of all, woodchipping’s Mahatma will have to auction off his beloved collection of incense smelling, collarless business shirts to fund aerial food drops to the starving logging towns of Tasmania!” Meanwhile, high up in the old growth timber-panelled members' lounge, the barge arses of logging’s Old-Boys' Club are stuffed and squeezed into creaking leather Chesterfields, while grunting guffaws float in the cigar smoke-filled air over the fact that it’s a sure bet, one horse race down there. As the tired old scare campaign gee-gee staggers towards the straight, the logging barons' flabby jowls quiver and redden as they raucously raise their ringing crystal for a toast, and no wonder. The race appears rigged for a dead certainty, and preserving timber jobs is the last thing on their minds! They tip their top-hats to their hefty jockey who saved them all a potential packet when laws were introduced stopping injured Tasmanian workers from taking common law action against a negligent employer unless the worker had 30% or more of their bodies damaged. According to Timberworkers for Forests and the Australian Stats Bureau, over the last 10 years the area of State forest logged has increased four-fold while timber manufacturing jobs have actually decreased by nearly 4000 since the 1980s. 10 years ago each 1.25 hectares logged supported one timber industry job, whereas over 5 hectares are now logged to support each job. Meanwhile high up in the members' bar, another job-shedding deal is signed by pudgy, manicured hands, enshrining the economic rationalisation that sees jobs and labour costs slashed by broadacre clearfelling, bigger machinery, bigger log truck loads, whole log exports and more automation of timber mills. Down on the track, however, Big Red’s scare campaign race has been ripped from the saddle before the finish line courtesy of some brave timber industry whistle blowers, the odd mainland scribe and ever-resilient tree huggers. As the punters rip up their betting tickets and head home dreaming of a proper horse race one day with a full field of noble steeds, they also dream of horsewhipping the now supine and livid Big Red as he bellows obscenities at the departing nag, trotting tail-up back to the stables. Prior to becoming a trainee doctor at the University of Tasmania, Neil Cremasco was a public health officer working in infectious diseases surveillance. Neil lives in the Huon Valley, South of Hobart.
How many jobs will be lost?:
RAPID RESPONSE EMAIL: What do you think? Sunday, September 19, 2004 |