Minister Ellis with MechLog Log Forwarder Operator Ash Garwood.
In a carbon-constrained century, forestry is the world’s most exciting industry. Source: The Examiner
Forestry not only provides timber and fibre but a business model that pays for carbon capture and active landscape management across our bushfire-prone, biodiverse environment.
The Tasmanian native forestry sector has a bright future but faces two key threats.
First, a potential future Labor-Green Government intent on delivering the Greens’ promise to shut down the industry completely in Tasmania.
Second, Dan Andrews’ shutdown of native forestry in Victoria and the thousands of desperate families given more than $800 million in taxpayer subsidies to just walk away.
We face these threats from a position of strength. STT’s wood supply contracts with major Tasmanian customers are in place until 2027.
But a recent haulage tender process shows that Tasmania is not immune from the fallout in Victoria, which is why STT is reviewing their recent tender.
We are working closely with the four key pillars of local industry – big millers, small millers, contractors and special species – on a forward-looking plan to support the industry through this external shock while taking advantages of exciting new opportunities.
Long-term thinking is vital for forestry because plantation sawlogs can take 30 years to grow to maturity, regrowth native forests more than 60.
This is an intergenerational and sustainable industry, supporting good, ongoing jobs in Tasmania. Unfortunately, from Labor we’ve heard silence followed by hypocrisy, with their job- destroying love affair with the Greens a dark stain.
They didn’t make a peep when Dan Andrews and Mark McGowan sent native forestry to the wall in Victoria and WA.
Only recently they voted against protecting forestry workers from radical activists invading the worksites and have been eerily quiet at the opportunity to back the Government’s position of no lockups in the Tarkine. While Labor throw rocks from the sidelines, our government is working closely with industry.
Some people thrown out of work in Victoria are also Tasmanians now looking to come home, displaced not once but twice by anti-forestry Labor Governments.
In a State with more timber jobs than available workers we should welcome them with open arms to help lift our industry’s capacity and capability.
With the right approach, Tasmanian industry can benefit from new markets for our premium timber, and new skilled workers to fill longstanding vacancies.
Forestry is a $1.2 billion industry in Tasmania supporting more than 5,000 jobs.
Tasmania is already a bright spot, we can be the shining beacon.
We will deliver on this with industry in a way that finds a place for everyone – millers big and small, the special species supply chain and the contractors who make it all possible.
Now is our opportunity to grow Tasmanian forestry for the generations to come.
