Guy Barnett
The influential Ministerial Advisory Council (MAC) on Forestry has delivered its growth strategy for the industry to the Tasmanian Government — highlighting the growth in private plantation resources, and reinforcing the industry’s future as one led by the private sector. Source: ABC News
The plan, delivered to the Government in March, predicts the most significant growth in private plantation forests — which already provide more than half of Tasmania’s annual wood harvest.
Public resource, or the forests managed by the state-owned Forestry Tasmania, is the main supplier to the sawmilling and veneering industries, and the specialty timber sector.
In October, the Government announced Forestry Tasmania would be downsized and revamped in an effort to stem its financial losses.
The Advisory Council plan said growth would be contingent on ensuring the Forestry Tasmania was “financially stable, commercially-focused and fully compensated for all community flow-on benefit” also recommends an “understanding of the environmental, social and economic implications, prior to any decision of Parliament on changes to the production forest estate (increases or decreases)”.
Contentious legislation to open up 350,000 hectares of forests earmarked for protection for logging is in limbo before the Tasmanian Legislative Council. The Ministerial Advisory Council plan stresses community expectations about forest management and environmental practices must be met.
“The commitment of current and future governments to an agreed and durable approach to industry policy is essential in establishing an operational environment that is conducive to investment and development,” the report states.
It also recommends the Government shoulder funding for road infrastructure, rather than Forestry Tasmania, and the industry work on better branding in order to charge more for timber. The State Government has welcomed the report and plans to respond in due course.
“The MAC is an advisory committee to Government, unlike under Labor and the Greens, who completely outsourced forest policy to the unelected roundtable of big business, big union and big environment,” Resources Minister Guy Barnett said.
“The report contains a number of positive suggestions that will be closely considered as we finalise the future strategic growth direction of the industry.”
The Strategic Forest Industry Growth Plan report has been in the works since the Advisory Council was created in early 2014, shortly after the Liberal Government came into power.
But Labor MP David Llewellyn questioned why it had been “quietly uploaded” to a website.
“These are very positive recommendations, and I think I know why the Minister’s not launched them with a fanfare as ministers are apt to do,” he said. “He appears to me to be standing very lonely, there by himself on these particular issues — and specifically the current legislation that’s going through the Legislative Council.”
Mr Llewellyn said the report was the industry’s blueprint for a brighter future.
“It stands in stark contrast to the divisive and un-consultative approach adopted by the Liberal Government.”
