Rushy Lagoon inquiry to go ahead after passing parliament

The Tasmanian Liberal Government’s push to establish an inquiry into the sale of Rushy Lagoon has passed parliament.

The sale of the 22,000-hectare property in north-east Tasmania - Tasmania's biggest farm - has been the source of significant controversy over its $69 million Federal Government back sale to a foreign corporation planning to convert a large part of the farm to pine plantation, generating carbon credits.

More recently, it was revealed that the firm behind the purchase also received an $8.8 million pine plantation grant.

The Tasmanian Government brought on a debate to establish a Select Committee to interrogate the sale of Rushy Lagoon on Thursday.

“Regional communities have been very upfront about their worries, and they deserve answers,” Primary Industry Minister Gavin Pearce said.

“This process has been distorted by the Federal Government, and our farmers deserve certainty around their productive agricultural land.

“We need answers to questions about the impact on food production, agricultural employment, regional investment and opportunities for future agricultural ownership.”

But the inquiry failed to garner support from Labor and the Greens.

“The future is bright for the Rushy Lagoon, with work already starting on property improvements and plans being developed for less than half to be planted with pine trees for sawlog production, creating jobs, while still enabling cattle production and irrigated cropping to continue,” Labor resources spokesperson Shane Broad said.

“Regardless of what people think of the sale, the witch-hunt committee the Liberals want to set up will have no power to call Federal officials and won’t change a thing. 

“After the last few months dominated by stories of economic decline in Tasmania, it is unbelievable that Premier Rockliff and the Liberals want to launch a parliamentary committee into why a reputable investor would want to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the state.”

After it passed parliament, Liberal Member for Bass, Michael Ferguson, was critical of Labour and the Greens.

“Labor and the Greens combined to try to stop it; Labor talked down our farmers; Labor talked down our rural communities; Shane Broad called the inquiry a waste of time; Dean Winter was more focused on the greyhound,” Mr Ferguson said.

​“Labor's Agriculture spokesperson abandoned her own electorate and her portfolio stakeholders.

​“But the Liberal Government, supported by Independents who were prepared to stand up for rural and regional Tasmania, prevailed.

“Our farmers and North East communities deserve to be heard.

“Now they will be.”