The Australian Forest Contractors Association is cautioning the NSW Opposition about making any decisions that removes the effective management of forest areas by highly skilled operators. Source: Timberbiz
The AFCA says the Opposition’s plan if elected to Government in the March State election to establish a Great Koala National Park will mean increased uncertainty in the forestry sector and potentially a mass exit of skilled labour.
Labor has promised it will spend $80 million establishing the sanctuary, comprising existing national parks and state forests between Kempsey and Grafton.
The $80 million dollars will be spent to engage with stakeholders and review the science.
The proposed area for the park would protect roughly 20% of the state’s koala population.
“Land management needs to be done correctly, by the right government entity and the right skilled workers,” AFCA General Manager, Carlie Porteous said.
Ms Porteous has called for NSW Labor to ensure it conducts its consultation in a balanced, transparent, and fair way if it truly wishes to make a difference in the endangered classification of this iconic animal.
“The industry supports the science. We encourage Labor to be thorough in its engagement process and not to fall into the trap of confusing ‘land-clearing activities’ with well managed forests,” she said.
The CFMEU Manufacturing division has warned that closing 176 ha of working forests will send NSW timber manufacturing offshore.
The union’s Alison Rudman said the proposal would not achieve any environmental improvements.
“What it will do is push manufacturing of hardwood timber products offshore to countries that operate without NSW’s environmental and safety protections,” she said.
“The idea that these regrowth forests can be replaced by plantation timber is farcical. Those plantations have not been grown.
“The result will be an increase in imported building products and the closure of local manufacturing,” Ms Rudman said.
“These policies haven’t worked in other States (and) we don’t want to import them here.”
