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Greens call on Lennon Govt to support Tasmanian wool producers

02
Apr '08

State Must Lobby Rudd Government to Prevent Closure of CSIRO Wool Scour Facility

The Tasmanian Greens today revealed that the Federal Rudd government is planning to close-down the CSIRO wool scour plant at its Geelong textiles and wool division, and have called on the State government to lobby their federal counterparts to reverse this decision.

Greens Shadow Primary Industries spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the matter had been raised with him by constituents whose successful businesses face ruin if the CSIRO close this facility, and rejected the CSIRO's suggestion that wool producers send their clip overseas for scouring in future.

The CSIRO's Geelong wool scour plant is the only facility available for smaller Tasmanian wool producers and associated boutique industries, and its closure will devastate a number of rural Tasmanian businesses.

“If the wool from Tasmania's small producers is scoured overseas, it will inevitably be processed overseas and Tasmania will lose the benefits of these new industries,” Mr Booth said.

“The closure of the only wool scour facility in Australia capable of servicing these smaller producers will deal a savage blow to their future industry development, and to those producers currently dependent on this facility.”

“The Lennon government needs to stand by these innovative Tasmanian rural producers and lobby its ALP colleagues in Canberra to reverse the imminent closure of the CSIRO's Geelong wool scour plant.”

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