A western Queensland council says it is ludicrous it still cannot get a timber allocation for a sawmill. Source: ABC News
The Blackall-Tambo Regional Council bought the disused Tambo Sawmill last year, hoping to revive the facility and create jobs.
However, Mayor Barry Muir said despite continuous lobbying for a timber allocation, the Department of Natural Resources had again refused the application.
He said council was working on other plans but the hold-up was frustrating.
“The full equipment, the shed, some machinery, we’ve even got big pallets of cut timber,” he said.
“The whole thing is ludicrous. Here we are, it’s all there.
“The whole thing it’s ready to go and it’s only held up by a lack of common sense or bureaucracy.
“It’s very frustrating, real frustrating, because there’s about, depending on what scale it operates, anything from 12 to 17 jobs and in a small community like Tambo, that’s a big thing.
“That’s a big economic thing and not only just for Tambo but a boost in employment for the Blackall-Tambo region, plus an industry.”
The department said it could not provide a non-competitive allocation because there was not enough cypress stands to meet everyone’s needs.
