Australia’s forest products industry is in recovery according to a new Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) industry survey. Source: The Land
Senator Richard Colbeck, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, welcomed the findings of the AFPA’s first annual business confidence survey and took a swipe at the former government’s “mismanagement” of the industry.
“The AFPA business confidence survey highlights positive signs for the forest products industry, with the national business confidence index scoring a positive 13.73 which indicates confidence in the year ahead,” he said.
“The majority of businesses are predicting increased capital investment and increased sales this financial year, with the best result coming from South Australia where 77% of executives are expecting to increase capital investment.”
Senator Colbeck said it was particularly pleasing to see a high level of industry confidence returning after years of “mismanagement under a Labor government that did not recognise the importance of forestry”.
“Timber is undoubtedly the building material of the 21st Century and Australia is well placed to take advantage of the opportunities presented by this trend,” Shadow Agriculture Minister Joel Fitzgibbon wrote an opinion piece for FarmOnline recently calling on industry to take up ‘fibre boom’ opportunities in a global market.
“I’ve long talked a lot about the Asia-led ‘Dining Boom’ – the opportunity to capitalise on Australia’s clean, green and safe food image and our proximity to the main source of booming food demand,” he wrote.
“But it’s now also timely to talk about the Fibre Boom – the opportunity to deliver wood products in to a market hungry for just about everything.
“We can’t compete on labour intensive products where our competition is paying workers $1 per day or where other costs of production are demonstrably against us.
“But we can compete where we have advantage over our key competitors. In the wood products industry, these advantages are significant.”
Jan Davis, chief executive of the Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association, was “gobsmacked” by Mr Fitzgibbon’s call to action, asking “where were you, Mr Fitzgibbon, when we needed you?”
“I am sure you remember the government in which he (Mr Fitzgibbon) served,” she said in response.
“They were the ones behind a secret deal to close down Tasmania’s forest industry, driven by an unrepresentative and unelected group meeting behind closed doors, which refused to listen to the craftsmen who use our special species timbers, and which totally ignored our private forest industry.
“It appears that our former forests minister has belatedly had a light bulb moment. He has learnt that forests regrow naturally, in the wild as well as in plantations; that they are a renewable resource; that we are the best forest managers in the world; that we grow some of the best timber in the world; and that we can supply wood products that are in demand by customers across the globe.”
Senator Colbeck said the Coalition was now focused on creating the right policy foundation for a strong and sustainable long-term future for the forestry industry, including the forest products sector.
“We have done as promised and removed the toxic carbon tax, resulting in significant cost savings for business,” he said.
Senator Colbeck announced the establishment of the Forestry Advisory Council on September 15, which will develop a national plan for the industry.
The council’s mandate is to advise government on building a positive future for the forestry industry and provides informative consultation and recommendations on proposed legislation and policies impacting on the industry.
“We are committed to supporting long-term Regional Forest Agreements and establishing a 20-year rolling life for each agreement and have begun working to implement this policy,” Senator Colbeck said.
Forestry science, forest management and industry development representatives will meet in Lismore in October for the biennial Australian Forest Growers Conference.
Forestry Advisory Council members are:
• Rob de Fegely, forester, forest management, NSW
• Ian Dickenson AO, private forestry and farm forestry, Tas
• Vince Hurley, sawmilling industry, Vic
• Andrew Hurford, private native forestry and sawmilling industry, NSW
• Linda Sewell, plantation management, Vic
• Nils Koren, timber importer, Vic
• Andrew Leighton, pulp and paper manufacturing, NSW
• Ron Adams, research and development, WA
• Karina Coombes, Indigenous forest communities, NT
• Michelle Freeman, forester and forestry communities, Vic
