The Tasmanian Forest Products Association has accused the Liberal Party of using the timber industry as a political football. And the CFMEU says it is flabbergasted by the short-sighted approach of the Tasmanian Liberal party to jobs and communities reliant on the forestry industry. Source: Timberbiz
“The Liberals have been government for a decade and could have solved our wood supply issue at any time. But instead, they have decided to make it an election issue,” TFPA Chief Executive Officer Nick Steel said.
The CFMEU said that timber communities deserve an industry strategy developed with workers and employers but instead have been dished up a political election strategy which serves nobody but the Liberal Party, Bob Brown, and the Greens.
The State Government yesterday said that if re-elected on 23 March it would unlock Tasmania’s native forestry “Wood Bank”, providing an up to 10% boost in the annual supply of high-quality sawlog to Tasmanian sawmillers.
“The Liberals are the strongest supporters of Tasmania’s high-value native forestry industry, backing in Tasmanian sawmillers, contractors, and local jobs,” Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.
“Under the devastating Labor-Greens Tasmanian Forestry Agreement signed in 2011, the area of production forest land in Tasmania was nearly halved and wood supply to local sawmillers was gutted.
“Timber communities across the State were decimated and two out of every three jobs in the sector were sacrificed by Labor seeking to appease the Greens.
“Following our election in 2014, we rescued 356,000 hectares of production native forest from being permanently locked up and set it aside in a “Wood Bank” – the Future Potential Production Forest – for a rainy day.
“That rainy day has now arrived.
“As a result of both the closure of native forest industries in Western Australia and Victoria under Labor Governments, as well as growing global demand for sustainably produced wood and fibre products, now is the right time to open this Wood Bank.”
A re-elected majority Liberal Government would:
- Make available up to 40,000 hectares of the Future Potential Production Forest “Wood Bank”
- Make available an additional wood basket of up to 158,000 cubic metres of high-quality sawlog to Tasmanian industry – that’s an up to 10% increase annually and
- Make this new supply exclusively available to existing Tasmanian customers.
“Importantly, by making this additional timber available exclusively to existing Tasmanian customers of Sustainable Timber Tasmania, this will ensure that Tasmania’s native forestry sawmillers have more of the timber they need,” Mr Rockliff said.
Mr Steel said the TFPA and others in the industry have been working with the government on developing a policy for the management of the state’s Future Potential Production Forest (FPPF) land.
“The TFPA has been talking to the government for a long time about active management of FPPF land, and what has been released (yesterday) is nothing like our plan,” Mr Steel said.
“The TFPA believes in total land use management. Not all the FPPF land is suitable for production forestry.
“The TFPA is calling for a full examination of the land, with input from a range of groups – including forestry, aboriginal bodies and environmental agencies.
“We look forward to working with the next elected government on how we can grow forestry and actively manage this land,” Mr Steel said.
Minister for Resources, Felix Ellis, said that Tasmania’s forest industry supported over 5,700 direct and indirect jobs, not just in harvesting but also across transport, associated support industries and sawmills around the State.
“Sawlog from our native forests is of high value and used in products ranging from high-quality floorboards to feature walls to bespoke furniture,” Mr Ellis said.
“It’s important to remember, more than 50%, or 3.43 million hectares, of Tasmania is in formal reserves, making Tasmania one of the most protected places on earth. This includes around 58% of the State’s native forests and over 85% of its old-growth forests.
“Within 100 days of re-election, we will commence the process to unlock the Wood Bank as outlined in Section 7 of the Rebuilding the Forestry Industry Act 2014.”
Mr Ellis said the Government had already identified 27 parcels of FPPF land totalling approximately 39,000 hectares of largely regrowth forest in the northeast and northwest, which was suitable for conversion back to production forest.
“The parcels have been identified on the basis that the State’s comprehensive, adequate and representative (CAR) reserve system is not compromised, that there is no negative impact on STT’s current and future certification and that maximise carbon carrying capacity, fire protection and recreational opportunities,” he said.
Additionally, areas of regrowth forests with previous forest management and roading activity had been prioritised.
“We will work closely with industry to implement this process of unlocking the Wood Bank within the first 100 days of a re-elected majority Rockliff Liberal Government,” Mr Ellis said.
“Once opened, the timber from this Wood Bank will be made available through Sustainable Timber Tasmania exclusively to existing Tasmanian-based customers.
“This process will make available up to an additional 158,000 cubic metres of high-quality sawlog to Tasmanian sawmillers. It is expected that this will provide an up to 10% boost in annual supply to the industry.
“Only a re-elected majority Rockliff Liberal Government has a 2030 Strong Plan to keep Tasmania’s native forest industry strong.”
The CFMEU echoed the Tasmanian Forest Products Association’s disappointment with the Liberals for using the industry as a political football and backed the association’s alternative plan for active and adaptive management of ‘Future Potential Production Forest’.
“The Liberals’ reckless approach risks the jobs of thousands of Tasmanian timber workers,” CFMEU Manufacturing National Secretary Mr Michael O’Connor said:
“Timber workers, their families and communities will see this announcement for what it is: An irresponsible gambit which risks their livelihoods.
“While the industry is advocating an approach which provides both resource and market security, the Liberals are trying to inflame tensions to paper over their disunity and 10 years of incompetence and mismanagement.”
The State’s Shadow Resources Minister Shane Broad said that instead of giving the timber industry certainty about the future of forestry in Tasmania, the Liberals have waited until an election and announced a policy clearly aimed at reigniting conflict and using timber industry jobs as a political football.
“Clearly, the Liberals announcement is nothing more than a stunt,” Mr Broad said.
“The state’s forestry industry has been plagued by supply issues and these concerns have been raised with the Liberals on numerous occasions.
“The Liberals could have acted when they were in government for 10 years, but they chose not to,” he said.
