Legislative Council Thursday 28 September

Ms FORREST question  to ACTING LEADER of the GOVERNMENT in the LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

With regard to Sustainable Timber Tasmania and the recent sale of a forestry right covering hardwood plantations on 29 000 hectares -

(1)       Who is the legal owner or owners of the land? 

(2)       What is the total area covered by the forestry right?

(3)       If more than one legal owner, how much land is owned by each?

(4)       What is the current government valuation of the land?

(5)       How many hectares of hardwood plantations were acquired from Gunns liquidators following the wind-up of Gunns managed investment schemes?

(6)       How many hectares referred to in the last question were included in the forestry right's sale?

(7)       How many hectares of hardwood plantation were fully acquired following the purchase of the controlled interest in Plantation Platform of Tasmania subsequent to Gunns insolvency?

(8)       How many hectares referred to in the previous question were included in the sale of the forestry right?

ANSWER

Mr President, I thank the member for Murchison for her questions.  Before I answer them, this morning when I read the list of members affected by the Cabinet reshuffling, Mr Brooks was unfortunately omitted from the list, so Adam Brooks MP is still one of those to be added to the list.

In answer to the member for Murchison's questions -

(1)     The land is predominantly crown land.  Part is freehold land over which Sustainable Timber Tasmania holds title.  All the land is Permanent Timber Production Zone - PTPZ - land managed by STT.

(2)     The forestry right covers a total plantation area of 28 297 hectares. 

(3)     Approximately 4100 hectares is on Sustainable Timber Tasmania freehold titles.  The remainder is on Crown titles.

(4)     There is no valuation available for the land.  PTPZ land is valued by the Valuer-General in property parcels that do not align with the boundaries of the forestry right and therefore no separate valuation is available.

(5)     Sustainable Timber Tasmania occupies 14 039 gross hectares of Gunns hardwood plantation located on lapsed Gunns leases on PTPZ land in January 2017.

(6)  The forestry right sale included 10 841 hectares of the plantation area acquired from Gunns.

(7)  Forestry Tasmania gained full control over 2350 hectares of PP hardwood plantation located on PTPZ land following acquisition of Gunns' 15 per cent share.

(8)  Five hundred and fifty-five hectares.