Wellington Shire Council Mayor Ian Bye
Page after page of blacked-out documents and no real information, that was the result of Wellington Shire Council’s attempts over almost four years to find out why state government decided to close the native forest industry. Source: Philip Hopkins The Gippsland Times
The decision meant two of Australia’s most dynamic and innovative timber processors –Australian Sustainable Hardwoods at Heyfield and Radial Timber in Yarram – faced potential destruction and the loss of more than 200 jobs in the municipality.
Wellington Shire’s Mayor, Cr Ian Bye, said the council first sought clarification from the state government about changes to the Victorian forestry sector via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request in July 2020, just months after the Victorian Government first announced substantial changes to the industry.
“After almost four years, interventions by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC) and considerable investment, a heavily redacted document was finally received,” Cr Bye told the Gippsland Times.
“However, it provided no detail of the scientific data used as the basis to end Victoria’s native timber harvesting industry, one that has been the backbone of small communities for generations.
“Based on these actions, it is clear to me that this evidence either does not exist, or the government is unwilling to share it with the communities most impacted.”
Cr Bye said the state government had made it clear that its decision was final. “Through our advocacy work, we have been able to secure stronger support for timber communities through the ‘Future of Heyfield’ and ‘Future of Yarram’ transition projects, with funding provided by the Victorian Government,” he said.
In November 2019, when the Victorian Government announced the native forest industry would close in 2030, it pledged $120 million in transition support for the affected communities.
However, the decision in May to cease native timber industry operations in Victoria from 1 January 2024 was made without any prior consultation, discussion, or presentation of evidence to support the government’s claim that the industry was environmentally unsustainable.
In July 2020, Wellington submitted an FOI request to understand the scientific basis behind the decision. After a year of persistent follow-ups, intervention by the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner and lengthy response delays, the Department of Premier and Cabinet granted access to only two out of 51 related records, with 29 others partially accessible.
Access was refused to 20 documents; those received were heavily redacted and offered limited insights into the scientific data on which the Government based the Victorian Forestry Plan.
The council, despite disagreeing with the government’s stance and apparent lack of evidence, has been collaborating with the state government to identify timber transition opportunities, especially for those in affected communities including Heyfield and Yarram.
The council says it remains disappointed by the abrupt decision to shut down the timber industry but appreciates $140,000 funding through the Local Development Strategy projects funded by the state government’s Forestry Plan, which will run until August 2024.
Most recently, another $93,500 from the government’s Community Development Fund will be used to create an integrated manufacturing cluster masterplan. Timeline for the FOI request:
- 3 July 2020 – first Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to Victorian Government
- 31 August 2020 – clarification of scope of FOI provided to government (via Department of Premier and Cabinet)
- 14 September 2020 – Council officers followed up because nothing had been received, advised to expect response by 30 September 2020
- October 2020 – Council officers followed up again when nothing was received
- 2 October 2020 – Council advised that a decision is yet to be reached due to “greater caseload”.
- 10 December 2020 – Still no response received, state government advised Council that delays were unavoidable due to ‘increased caseload’.
- 16 December 2020 – Council officers requested update, received advice that a response expected mid to late January 2021.
- 25 January 2021 – Council officers requested another update, state government advised of a delay because of a backlog in requests in the second half of 2020.
- 4 May 2021 – Council received advice from the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC). They are continuing to follow up with the agency for a decision and the matter had been escalated to the Assistant Commissioner at the OVIC.
- 20 July 2021 – Council received a letter from the Department of Premier and Cabinet advising that of the 51 records relevant to the request, we would be granted full access to two documents, partial access to 29 documents, and no access to 20 documents. These documents were heavily redacted and disclosed very little information regarding the data that the State Government relied upon in relation to the Victorian Forestry Plan.
