The Greens say it is past time to protect the Tarkine from mining and logging

‘The only people who can’t get to it are members of the public:’ Why there’s no support for Greens’ plan to ‘unlock’ the unique Tarkine rainforest.

Greens plan to protect Tarkine Scott Jordan

Neither major party supports the Greens’ plan to “unlock” and protect the greatest expanse of cool temperate rainforest in Australia.

On Thursday the Greens committed to nominating the Takayna/Tarkine on the North West Coast for World Heritage listing and to push for it to become a national park under Tasmanian laws.

Liberal candidate for Braddon Mal Hingston said if the Greens want to “lock up the Tarkine, they’ll have to go through me first”.

Greens candidate for the senate Scott Jordan said every person can visit a national park.

“Right now Takayna is locked up for logging companies and mining companies and the only people who can’t get to it are members of the public,” he said.

“We will take the locks off it,” Mr Jordan said.

Scott Jordan senate candidate for the Greens at pre-polling in Burnie. Picture: Elise Kaine

Mr Hingston said he would never sell out the forestry industry for “mainland Greens voters”.

Mr Jordan went to Burnie High School and has been trying to get Takayna World Heritage listed for more than 21 years.

Mr Jordan said awareness for what and where Takayna is had been rising, with polls indicating more than 66 per sent of locals supported preserving it.

“People are consistently saying this area should be protected — across the political divide,” Mr Jordan said

“It now has mainstream support. What it doesn’t have is the political courage from the major parties to make the change.”

Charles Wooley visits the Tarkine on the Pieman River. Picture: Arron Hage

A Labor government spokeswoman did not directly respond when asked if Labor would support the designation of Takayna as World Heritage and instead pointed to a range of measures and investments designed to “undo the damage done” after a “decade of environmental vandalism by the Liberals and Nationals”.

Mr Jordan has been at the Burnie pre-polling booth all week. He said there was a “good feeling” on the ground.

“People, not just in this state but across the country, are ready for change from this pick A or B mentality,” Mr Jordan said.

“The feedback we are getting from people coming past is that they’ve had enough of the two big parties and that ‘winner takes all’ approach,” Mr Jordan said.

Mr Jordan said he was hearing a lot from people against the expansion of salmon farming into Commonwealth waters off of the Burnie coast.

He said it was a “huge vote changing issue up here”.

Mr Jordan said after the election the major parties would have to “put on the big people’s pants” to start “negotiating and talking and trying to deliver what the people have asked them to”.

The Wilson River area of the Tarkine contains some of the last-known Huon pine trees undisturbed by historical logging.

Originally published as The Greens say it is past time to protect the Tarkine from mining and logging