Latrobe City Councillors
The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) stated that Latrobe City and Wellington Shire councils have joined two other councils to put pressure on the State Government regarding the future of the Victorian native timber industry. East Gippsland Shire Council wrote to the Agricultural Minister two weeks ago and last week Yarra Ranges Shire Council passed a motion to write to the State Government pressing for action in approving a new Timber Release Plan. Source: Timberbiz, VAFI, Latrobe Valley Express
The motion was proposed by Councillor Jim Child and Rowan Reid of Reid Brothers and VAFI’s Policy and research manager, Tim Morrissey, who put arguments to Council and spoke in support.
More than 50 forestry workers, friends and family members packed the gallery sending a clear message that the delay in the Timber Release Plan and the uncertainty surrounding the industry was affecting many in the community.
The plan was due to be finalised in July last year however, the state government has not yet released the plan.
Latrobe City councillor Dale Harriman raised the matter as urgent business at the ordinary council meeting, stating “hundreds, if not thousands of jobs” in regional Victoria could be lost if the document was not released promptly.
Mayor Graeme Middlemiss is to write the to state government requesting it release the TRP immediately and he will also write to the Municipal Association of Victoria to request they also advocate to the state government for the release of the plan.
It comes after Nationals Party leader Peter Walsh asked Premier Daniel Andrews in Parliament in February to sign off on the plan. The Premier told Parliament he would seek an update from the relevant ministers.
Cr Harriman, who is also the president of the National Timber Councils Association, was concerned the delay in release of the TRP would be an “easy way” for the state government to “wind up the native timber industry”.
By not making a decision, he said, they are “making a decision to kill the native timber industry”.
“If they want to kill the industry, if they don’t want the native timber industry to continue, then come out with a plan to step away from it gradually,” he said. “Unless we get a decision in the next few weeks, it will have a devastating effect on the native timber industry.
“There are contractors out there now that haven’t worked since Australia Day.”
Cr Harriman said there was an “enormous strain” on the mental health of workers and bosses in the industry due to uncertainty of future work.
Speaking to council Cr Brad Law said there would be “flow-on effects” if native timber contractors shut down.
“When we have bushfire season, all the [contractor’s] equipment is seconded by DELWP to fight the fires,” he said. “We start wiping out all these contractors, there is going to be a point in time where there is not going to be enough machinery to fight fires.
