Nationals Member for Eastern Victoria Region, Melina Bath, with the Nationals Candidate for Morwell, Martin Cameron
Collectively, the timber industry is one of our largest employers in the Latrobe Valley and another four years of an Andrews Labor Government will see native timber destroyed without replacement.
Make no mistake, the jobs generated from Victoria’s $7.32 billion timber industry are being ringbarked under Labor.
Labor’s plan to close the native timber industry by 2030 will be a disaster for the Latrobe Valley – a community I and my family call home.
As The Nationals candidate for the seat Morwell in the November state election, I am fighting to save timber jobs. A vote for me is a vital step to save this environmentally sustainable and renewable industry.
I’ve been a plumber for 35 years and I’ve run my own business for the past 20 years. As a small business owner, I know what it’s like to have to balance the books, find staff, train apprentices and pay wages.
Labor does not stand up for workers, its decision to shut Victoria’s native timber industry is a direct attack on local workers, particularly those working in trades.
Ignoring the science of sustainable forestry, Labor has abandoned the shop floor and blue-collar workers, pandering to woke inner city green voters.
It’s time now to unite and save important regional industries and local jobs from Daniel Andrews’ swinging axe.
If you, your family and/or friends are employed in any aspect of the timber industry – this election is your chance to stop Labor’s flawed plan to the close Victoria’s native timber industry.
Officially the industry is slated to be wound back from 2024, but it is already being closed by stealth, hamstrung by red tape, green ideology and vexatious court injunctions.
Enabled by loopholes in the Timber Code of Practice activists are ramping up their green lawfare, resulting in significant mental distress, workers being stood down, contractors going to the wall and mills depleted of supply.
The Andrews Labor Government’s campaign against timber jobs is based on misinformation and shows no respect for our timber workers and regional communities.
Contrary to green propaganda, timber harvesting does not cause bushfires – it assists in mitigation. Native timber harvesters provide vital expertise and machinery as first responders fighting on the fire front.
Timber tracks become CFA access tracks during a fire response. Harvesters create fire breaks, clear roads and remove dangerous trees – they protect life, property and the environment.
The fact remains, Victoria’s native timber industry is highly regulated and world’s best practice, operating under strict environmental standards.
The reality is 4 in 10,000 trees are harvested on a 50 – 60-year rotation and replanted, no old growth forests are logged, coupes are surveyed, habitat trees protected, and safety regulations adhered to.
The industry understands that the Andrews Government’s ‘Victorian Forestry Plan’ will not work. Replacement plantations are unlikely to be fully implemented and the plan will lead to lower economic output and job losses in our towns.
Closing the native timber industry without hardwood plantation replacement threatens wood flow for structural building materials and high-end joinery.
Local pallet production used in the food distribution supply chain will cease. The downstream ramifications of the native timber closure will further compromise industries already suffering from material shortfalls and rising costs.
Only The Nationals and Liberals in Government will save timber jobs by reversing Labor’s disastrous shutdown of our industry.
Personally, I do not want to visit to the local hardware store and my only option is timber from third world countries with poor environmental standards – it’s false environmentalism.
I value local jobs and I want my Latrobe Valley to thrive well into the future – if Labor gets its way, our community will suffer further and that’s something I ask you to help me fight.
The Nationals stand side-by-side with our timber workers in Latrobe Valley and right across regional Victoria. We will keep fighting for a secure your jobs and livelihoods.
