The Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement has sparked new hostilities and caused one timber group to back out as some claimed that the deal was fundamentally altered in the 11th hour before Prime Minister Julia Gillard signed it August 7. The deal includes provisions for compensation to forest companies whose contracts cannot be met outside of the new 430,000 hectares of protected land; industry representatives said that they had believed they could log the forests if their contracts required it. Timber groups have accused the Labor party of last minute changes to appease Greens, who demanded heavier conservation in the deal. Labor did hold out some measures, including $128 million for industry as part of the deal's passage. For the full story, see http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/forests-deal-falls-at-first-hurdle/story-fn59niix-1226113584783 and http://www.smh.com.au/environment/conservation/timber-industry-furious-at-tasmania-forest-peace-pact-20110807-1ihj9.html.