A call to quickly end native forest logging has been voted down by New South Wales’ Shoalhaven City Council. Councillor Moo D’Ath put forth a motion that council support the rapid end to logging of public native forests in south east NSW. Source: South Coast Register
Cr D’Ath’s proposed actions included lobbying the state government for a plan to transition away from the practice and into plantation forestry.
The proposed advocacy would include writing to relevant state government ministers, their counterpart shadow ministers, and ministers who hold shares in Forestry Corporation NSW.
At the council meeting, environmental activists from around the region filled the public gallery, along with members of the CFMEU representing workers in the local forestry sector.
Speaking for the Brooman State Forest Conservation Group, activist Takesa Frank said residents of the southern Shoalhaven wanted to see the native forests protected.
“I have lived my entire life surrounded by the Brooman and Shallow Crossing State Parks… Currently I’m seeing this forest that surrounds me destroyed by the New South Wales Government,” she said.
“In the Shoalhaven, 13% of the area is state owned forest and there are 11 compartments currently being logged, are planned to be logged, or have been completed.
“That adds up to 3800 hectares of forests being logged – this is why Shoalhaven City Council needs to take action: it is occurring at our back door.”
Ms Frank also argued that Forestry Corporation directly employed just four workers in the Shoalhaven as of the 2011 census, making a minimal impact on the local economy.
However, as CFMEU NSW assistant secretary Alison Rudman pointed out in her deputation, jobs associated with the timber industry on the south coast realistically number at about 1000.
The CFMEU and its members opposed the motion on the grounds that a rapid action would have an immediate negative impact on workers.
Speaking to the motion, Ms Rudman said the union would also like to see Forestry Corporation create more plantations.
She said the creation of hardwood plantations would take a long time, and rapid transition would lose workers’ jobs in the immediate term.
“For us as a union… I think the real response to that myth about there not being many jobs in the sector is: how many workers are you comfortable seeing lose their job?” Ms Rudman said.
“They [Forestry Corporation] have limited hardwood plantations. We’d like to see them have more, particularly because it’s such a long lead time.
“It’s something everyone can agree on: let’s get planting, let’s get more trees in the ground.
“We [CFMEU] would welcome the support of council to encourage more systematic planting right now.”
