GOVERNMENT STIMULUS AN OPPORTUNITY TO KNOCK ON WOOD

The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) has welcomed the Federal
Government’s $42 billion Nation Building and Jobs Plan as a critical step in
safeguarding Australia’s economy whilst providing a remarkable opportunity to build an
environmentally sustainable future.
The new plan will see the construction of over 20,000 new social and defence force
houses and an immense investment into community infrastructure, an opportunity the
VAFI CEO, Philip Dalidakis, says is ideal for utilising the sustainable resources of the
Victorian timber industry.
“The Prime Minister has shown a great commitment towards retaining jobs and
stimulating the increasingly strained economy, it is imperative that he show this same
commitment towards the Victorian forest industry by ensuring that the infrastructure is
built using sustainable timber from the local Victorian timber industry,” Mr Dalidakis
said.
“This is a great opportunity to not only provide much needed housing and upgrades, but
to also start building a national infrastructure that is both economically beneficial through
its support of rural and regional Victorian jobs, and is environmentally sustainable
through the use of carbon storing timber.”
“Victoria has a world class forest industry that leads the way nationally and globally in
sustainable practices. By engaging this leading industry through the extensive use of
timber in construction and fit outs, the Federal Government will be securing thousands
of jobs throughout Victoria.”
“Timber really is the best building material available because it stores carbon as it grows
and then ‘locks’ the carbon away, while being the only truly renewable resource. There
is also very little energy used in the manufacturing of timber in comparison to other
building products, and of course timber is biodegradable.”
“Infrastructure built using sustainably harvested timber is a win-win for the Federal
Government; it helps support local communities and jobs whilst simultaneously
supporting the Governments’ own commitment to the Carbon Pollution Reduction
Scheme where they acknowledged the timber industry is the only carbon positive
industry.”