MEDIA RELEASE Monday, 12 November 2012

Unlock Tasmania slams the action of a minority job-destroying group at Smithton today. Unlock Tasmania calls for stronger government action to prevent these activists from closing down work-places and wasting resources. `The Tasmanian economy is already reeling from the failure of the government to protect jobs and the valuable forest industry. We have to face the reality that the Tasmanian economy is in freefall and more than 50 jobs are being lost nearly every week from this region, Joan Rylah of Unlock Tasmania said. `This terrorist attack toughens up our call that enough is enough. The boom gates were down this morning at the mills and the locals were up-in-arms as soon as the word swept through the community, There is a great deal of frustration that the industries that are left in Circular Head are being targeted by these activists. The activists face almost no serious penalty even though they threatening peoples jobs. Nearly 27% of Circular Heads employment was in the forest, agriculture and fishing sectors, so no wonder every business, school and health worker in the region is feeling threatened by the flow-on effects of these dangerous and foolish actions. The proper place for ensuring Ta-Ann is processing only re-growth or plantation trees is through the State governments regulators not by terror tactics on the shop-floor of a high-risk workplace. `Tasmania is losing the cream of our employees and future entrepreneurs to places where such senseless activity is not tolerated. This cannot go on, Mrs Rylah said. `We support ample rights of people to protest but not in a way that threatens ordinary employees and undermines future investments and job opportunities.

END Contact Joan Rylah Unlock Tasmania Phone : 0417 476 926