The decision of the Environmental Protection Authority to allow the logging of almost 40 per cent of Western Australia's jarrah, karri and marri forests is a disaster in the making, the Greens warned today.

Senator for Western Australia Scott Ludlam said the South West of the State is a precious biodiversity hotspot that warrants Federal protection from the "misnamed Forest Management Plan 2014-2023".

The Coalition today refused to support Tasmania's new World Heritage area extension or a logging ban in World Heritage areas anywhere in the nation, Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said.

"Every Coalition senator in the chamber today voted against my motion which sought to celebrate and show support for our precious World Heritage areas and to prohibit logging," Senator Milne said.

Today's World Heritage listing of high conservation value forests on the eastern boundary of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area has been a long-time coming and will be celebrated by conservationists across the generations, Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said.

"It's fantastic that after so many years of campaigning conservationists around Tasmania, and indeed the world, can celebrate the protection of these magnificent wild forests that contain the tallest flowering plants on earth and an array of wonderful wildlife," Senator Milne said.

The Australian Greens have slammed the design and management of the recent $45 million Tasmanian forest contractor exit program after the release today of a Senate inquiry report into the program.

"The Senate inquiry has confirmed the Auditor-General's criticism of the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, which kept inadequate records, distributed grants before writing compliance and risk management plans, and did not follow its own grant guidelines, " Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne said.

The areas (totaling 493,482 ha, not 504,000 ha) can be broken down into the following categories:

Inquiry into Auditor-General's Reports on Tasmanian Forestry Grants Programs - National Audit Office

"The signing of the new Intergovernmental Agreement on Forestry and the accompanying funding package reveals that what started out as a process to exit native forest logging in Tasmania has ended with yet another massive federal government assistance package to prop up the industry," Australian Greens Leader Senator Christine Milne said today.

Blog by Australian Greens forests spokesperson Lee Rhiannon
Tasmanian’s forests are still not safe from logging. The new Tasmanian Forests Agreement does not provide the protection needed to safeguard these unique and precious forest habitats.

A worrying aspect of this Agreement is that it includes an attempt to silence the community. The final decision on the permanent reservation of forests is contingent upon reports from an unelected special council on the behaviour of conservationists involved in protests or market place action.