Misguided Protests Target Harvey Norman

ACTIVISTS ‘The Last Stand’ have targeted stockists of Australian made timber furniture, Harvey Norman, over the weekend by unfurling a banner on one of the sails of the Opera House in Sydney.
AFPA has labelled the stunt ‘misguided’ and in effect encouraged the use of unsustainably logged timber from overseas forests. “The groups neglect to mention that Australia’s native forests are already managed to world’s best practice through sustainable forest management regulations and codes of practice. Furthermore, over 90 per cent of managed public forests in Australia are subject to additional voluntary standards which are independently certified through international sustainability standards such as the Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification [PEFC],” AFPA CEO David Pollard said.
Rohan Wright, CEO of Furniture Australia (Vic/Tas), said ‘The Last Stand’ should “be ashamed of the misinformation they use to mislead their supporters and bully Australian retailers.” Furniture Australia also rebuffed claims that the furniture industry could move to a plantation only resource. “There simply are no plantation timbers available in Australia in commercial quantities that can replace the native timbers Australian furniture manufacturers use,” Mr Wright said.