The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) has launched ‘Growing Your Future’, a Federal Election Campaign targeted at planting more timber production trees in the right places and securing the future of native forest industries. Source: Timberbiz
“AFPA has developed ‘10 Actions for Growth’; policy requests totalling more than $80 million, designed at securing the long-term needs of Australia’s forest industries across the full value chain,” Mr Hampton said.
The ‘10 Actions for Growth’ and underpinning policy ‘asks’ can be found the campaign website: growingyourfuture.com.au
The 10 actions are:
- Government leadership including appointing a minister with direct responsibility for forestry
- More trees, in the right places, at the right scale
- Regional forest industry hubs
- Certainty for native forestry
- Skills and training
- Research and development
- A biofuture revolution
- Support for the circular economy
- Trade and procurement policy
- Community education.
An indepth explanation of these 10 points is at www.growingyourfuture.com.au
“This suite of policies is designed to unleash growth across forest industries, from the businesses that grow and manage trees, to the processors of timber, pulp and paper manufacturers and emerging businesses in the bioenergy space.
“Australia’s forest industries are responsible for 120,000 jobs across the full value chain, and are worth $24 billion to the Australian economy annually. It’s vital that politicians, candidates and political parties take notice of what our industries need. This applies especially to candidates in electorates where forest industries are prominent in the economy.
“AFPA has developed electorate briefs, providing a snapshot of industries in individual electorates across Australia. They can be found on the Growing Your Future website.
“We are launching this campaign in Tasmania today, because we recognise how vital forest industries are to Tasmanians and the state’s economy. A poll conducted earlier this week for AFPA, shows 8 in 10 voters in the electorate of Bass regard forest industries as either very important or important to the economy.
“However, the Growing Your Future campaign is a national one, with billboards, advertising and advocacy across the country. It will also include a forest industries debate, in Launceston on 1 May.
“I look forward to spending the next four and half weeks speaking to candidates, MPs and political parties, and convincing them to support our policies for growth,” Mr Hampton said.
Polling conducted for AFPA in the federal electorate of Bass in Tasmania showed that voters believe a strong forest industry is important to the welfare of their state.
The uComms poll surveyed 847 voters in Bass and revealed that there was also support for a native timber industry. In Bass 2238 jobs are in forestry with 942 directly employed and 1296 indirectly employed, the industry contributes $574 million to the economy with both softwood and hardwood plantations.
Currently the electorate of Bass is held by Labor’s Ross Hart but this latest poll suggests he may not retain his seat and instead pass it to the Liberal Party’s Bridget Archer. Bass has changed hands in seven of the past nine elections.
