Victorian regional communities are feeling the brunt of brutal job and skills losses since the timber supply issues stemming from a Supreme Court order in November 2022 locking up Victoria’s native forests are causing mills to close down. Source: Timberbiz
It was announced in 2019 by the State Government that the native timber industry would be phased out by 2030 and since then activists have been relentless in attempting to speed up the process by taking out court injunctions stopping timber harvesting operations leading to short supply.
“The loss of jobs in these rural Victorian communities are huge and they are very real,” Timber Towns Victoria President Karen Stephens said.
“Haulage operators, timber harvesters, industry contractors, mill workers – these are real people, and this is their livelihoods.
“They don’t know what to do, where to turn. In the town of Orbost for example, we know that almost a quarter of their jobs are going to be directly hit by the immediate lack of timber supply and the indirect jobs hit will be many more,” Cr Stephens said.
“These communities are facing a bleak future and they are enduring unnecessary stress and worry for themselves and their families.”
Cr Stephens said the slow, grinding will of any movement by the Victorian State Government to fix the Timber Code of Practice and avoid continual third-party litigation against VicForests was resulting in people’s livelihoods “going down the gurgler”.
Timber Towns Victoria member Cr Sonia Buckley from the East Gippsland Shire Council said the region needed local timber, local jobs, and best industry management practices which still required reform.
“This can and must be achieved,” she said.
“What is needed is the will of the State Government which sadly under the Andrews Government is not currently present, nor has any evidence been presented by Premier Andrews as to why the decision has been made to close the Timber Industry, which is one of our biggest economic contributors to the region. The Timber Industry machinery and skilled operators also protects Community in times of wildfires.”
One hundred job loses meant 100 families lost to the community, according to local haulage contractor, Richard Pelz.
“This will destroy Orbost as a community. It will affect the schools, the local football/netball club and the list goes on and on,” he said.
“These families will be forced to move away just to earn a living and don’t start me on the mental health issue that we are already seeing. This has been an absolute ‘talk fest’ with no real support from the government.”
