In reference to your opinion piece of the 3rd of May 2024 – Opinion: Marcus Bastiaan – VicForests hung themselves and the industry out to dry, would you please correct the many incorrect assertions.
VicForests was not responsible for the current situation facing the management and regeneration of Victoria’s native forest estate.
Of the native forest estate, only 6% of Victoria’s public forests and woodlands were being managed for long term wood supply on a sustainable cycle of harvest and regrowth.
The demise of VicForests was due to the combined impacts of judicial activism, environmental protests, green lawfare, and an abject failure of the Victorian Labor Government to support the Victorian world class and environmentally sustainable native hardwood timber industry. Victorian forestry with its multiple layers of forest certification processes has been dealt a death knoll.
This has resulted in the current Victorian labour government announcement that all native forest harvesting ceased on the1st of January 2024 and that VicForests will cease to exist by the 30th of June 2024.
A summary of the past government agencies managing the Victorian Forest Estate is described in the following:
- Between 1918 and 1983, the Forest Commission of Victoria (VFC) as a statutory authority efficiently managed and protected the Victorian Forest Estate.
- In 1983, the Cain labour government merged VFC with the newly formed mega department of Conservation, Forests and Lands. (CFL).
- Successive governments amended these cumbersome arrangements.
- By 1992, the Kennett liberal government added VicForests under the State-Owned Enterprise Act.
- In 2003, VicForests became a state business corporation and in 2023, a reorganised body.
The author, Mr Marcus Bastiaan, has made many incorrect statements during VicForests time of managing the Victorian forest estate. These assertions have been addressed. They are well documented.
Mr Bastiaan has suggested that an accreditation body such as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) be engaged to manage the Victoria Forest Estate. It has no management expertise.
VicForests management follows the guidelines established by the global accreditation body PEFC with checks by JASANZ.
The impact on the closure of the Australian native forest industry is that hardwood timber supplies are vastly impacted due to the Australian Labour governments wishing to build more social housing. The only depository of hardwood supplies uncommitted somewhat is tropical countries. This creates enormous market distortion globally because there are no initiatives to replace those tropical hardwood resources as in Australia.
The issue facing Speciality Doors is a lack of future resource allocation.
It is an open and shut door issue.
All Victorians would share the frustrations exhibited by Speciality Doors and its director Mr Marcus Bastiaan in the uncertainty re future forest resources.
However, mistruths and false assertions expressed in the opinion piece by Mr Bastiaan will not resolve the issues faced by future management of Victorian forests and its forest industry.
The dilemma in Victoria again demonstrates that the forest industry is on the “user end” of government decisions and actions regarding a stable investment climate, resource security and consistent administration of rules and regulations especially relating to forest revenue systems in the context of fiscal stability.
It is hoped that somehow endeavours are undertaken to ensure the native forest estate can meet future demand for native forest products investors by allowing “economic sustainability” of any long-term timber harvesting entity which is being managed under active sustainable forest management principles.
R B McCarthy BSc (Forestry), M Sc (Foresty Man) Member, Forestry Australia.
