Thread: Australian Wooden Boat Festival 2013

I didn't go to this years WBF for several reasons , even though my boat was the "pinup girl" for the festival .
Primarily , to trailer her down there and back on the ferry was going to be VERY expensive , along with the accomodation etc.
I'm hoping by 2013 I'll have a bigger boat , that I can sail down there , solving a lot of the issues.
But I'll be watching the political situation intently , I certainly WON'T be going down there if the government goes ahead with policies that will screw the industries relying on local woods , particularly boat building.
Anyway , the government have a while to get themselves sorted out.
Interesting times ahead.
Rob J.

By contrast the WA government is right behind the WW show in Perth. I was there a few years ago and they had one of the government ministers turn up and make a speech and give out prizes that they had donated.

I guess I could look it up Len , but when is the Perth show on ?.
It looks as though Huon Seal will be going over there , to be sailed by my son and his family , and she would fit in nicely at the show I'm sure.
Regards Rob J.

Hi Rob, the show I am referring to was the Working with Wood show that I went to a couple of years ago at the showground somewhere in Perth. Not a boat show as such and a long way from the water. Sorry I am slightly off topic there, but I was very impressed with the strong WA government support for the show. They clearly saw it as an industry that was getting going and a local pride thing. Which is exactly the attitude that the Tasmanian government should be taking to the wooden boat festival down there.

I don't think you will find anyone here that disagrees with you Len.
I did a search , and found there has been shows in WA that includes wooden boats , but nothing really stood out.
But I think just having Huon Seal sailing there will be advertising enough , she draws a crowd .
Regards Rob J.

SENATOR THE HON RICHARD COLBECK

Senator for Tasmania

Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Forestry
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science

M E D I A R E L E A S E

25 August 2011

Forest deal sinks Tasmanian wooden boat building

The future of Tasmania’s valuable wooden boat building industry is directly threatened by the Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) on future use of Tasmania’s forests.

“Locking up the remaining sources of timber used by Tasmania’s wooden boat builders will destroy what is currently a very valuable, viable and iconic industry,” Coalition Forestry Spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck said.

“Details of the sham agreement are spreading far and wide and I am now being contacted by boat builders who fear Tasmania’s wooden boat building industry will be ruined.

“Discussion on the impending disaster for the sector has global reach through industry blogs.

“Despite the fact that 90 per cent of two key iconic species, Celery Top Pine and King Bill Pine, are already in reserves the Greens are still not satisfied.

“More than 70 per cent of remaining sources of these timbers are in the 430,000 hectares rubber stamped by former Wilderness Society director Jonathan West in his flimsy advice accepted by the Prime Minister and the Premier last week.

“And 94 per cent of remaining sources are in the 572,000 hectares that the environment groups claim as High Conservation Value.

“The wooden boat industry has an estimated annual value of $50 million but without a timber supply it has no future.

“Destroying Tasmania’s wooden boat building industry also undermines the legitimacy of hosting the highly successful Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, which is one of the largest festivals of its type in the world.

“This festival began in 1994 and attracted 100,000 people last year. Given building these boats can take up to 12 months, providing significant employment opportunities for master craftsmen, the significance of the economic contribution of wooden boats is clear.

“What will it mean for this internationally-recognised event if Tasmania’s iconic wooden boat building industry is destroyed?

“The Greens tell us tourism is the future for Tasmania but its own greedy and clumsy policy seeks to lock the tourism industry out of areas currently open and it also threatens to impact major tourist events like the Wooden Boat Festival.

Tasmanian woodwork blog:
https://www.woodworkforums.com/f34/tasmanian-boat-building-timber-availability-139466/
<<250811 Forest deal sinks Tasmanian wooden boat building.pdf>>
ENDS_

Laura Richardson
Electorate Officer

Office of Senator Richard Colbeck
Senator for Tasmania | Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries & Forestry
Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Innovation, Industry and Science
5-7 Best Street, Devonport 7310 - Tasmania
( 03 6424 5960 | 6 03 6423 5244 |

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE AND DISCLAIMER
The information in this transmission may be confidential and/or protected by legal professional privilege, and is intended only for the person or persons to whom it is addressed. If you are not such a person, you are warned that any disclosure, copying or dissemination of the information is unauthorised. If you have received the transmission in error, please immediately contact this office by telephone, fax or email, to inform us of the error and to enable arrangements to be made for the destruction of the transmission, or its return at our cost. No liability is accepted for any unauthorised use of the information contained in this transmission. If the transmission contains advice, the advice is based on instructions in relation to, and is provided to the addressee in connection with, the matter mentioned above. Responsibility is not accepted for reliance upon it by any other person or for any other purpose.