Is FSC Australia Corrupt?

FSC is the international verification system for timber products. In the last 3 years FSC Australia members were deeply involved with the dysfunctional and corrupt Gillard Labor Government in implementing a 'forest peace deal' in Tasmania. Another corrupt Labor government in Tasmania spent decades trashing, burning and over-harvesting the habitat of critically endangered flora and fauna. Their main product was wood chips. Tasmania has reached the point where it's timber products are unsaleable almost anywhere on earth. This destruction is carried out by the 100% government-owned enterprise 'Forestry Tasmania'. A plan was devised where environmentalists would sanction logging in Tasmania in return for saving half a million hectares of forests that would then be placed into reserves. The Gillard government and Ministers Burke and Crean sponsored the plan and eventually with the help of five FSC Australia members a law was passed that required Forestry Tasmania to obtain FSC certification or the defined areas would be logged. Problems for FSC Australia. During the negotiations 5 FSC-AU members arranged for another FSC-AU member Gunns Ltd to have some of its debts paid by the Australian taxpayer. This was in the order of A$59 million. Hundreds of millions of dollars was also paid out in various forms of 'compensation'. Some of the compensation even went to the negotiators themselves. A key negotiator in this dirty deal was the then current FSC Australia chairman Jim Adams. Does this look like a 'conflict of interest' to you? It does to us. At the same time as this law was passed in Tasmania, FSC Australia got the first installment of $1/2 million from the Government to write the FSC Australian forest management standard. They don't have one now which means Forestry Tasmania must apply for the weaker 'interim standard'. FSC must be popular with the Gillard Government because they sent a keynote speaker to FSC Australia's AGM in May this year. As you can see from the membership chart above, FSC Australia is controlled by the economic chamber. Because voting is supposed to take place on an equal basis per chamber, it becames important for the economic chamber to control the other two chambers. This is the subject of a current grievance by FSC member TAP Into a Better Tasmania. They uncovered evidence of at least two 'astroturf' organisations operating as FSC Australia members. Sadly, the 'forest wars' in Tasmania now seem worse than ever, especially for conservationists who have been split by FSC members acting as vigilantes to prevent protests in forests. There is also the horrendous conservation outcome of the Wilderness Society of Australia endorsing the products of Ta Ann, one of the worlds worst environmental offenders.  The law (TFA) 'locks in' 5 FSC Australia members into a long term 'conflict of interest' as each must have a seat on a 'Special Council'. It's role is to help Forestry Tasmania obtain certification.  This is from a media release by Sid Sidebottom Labor member for Braddon' The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is now engaging with FSC Australia on the development of the FSC National Standard.' Obviously the government think they have bought influence with FSC-AUS. Surely this is not how the FSC system was supposed to work?