Members of the local native timber industry have called for an urgent meeting with the Victorian Premier as the fight against the government’ s ban on harvesting native timber ramps up.
At a meeting in Bairnsdale on Wednesday between forest industry leaders and local, state and federal politicians, it was moved “That this meeting of Gippsland timber industry representatives condemns the flawed State Government decision to ban all native timber harvesting by 2030; and further calls on the Premier Daniel Andrews to meet with our delegation of five industry representatives as a matter of urgency to discuss the social, economic, environmental and cultural implications of the decision; and further instructs our local, state and federal representatives to explore all opportunities to overturn the decision announced by the Premier”.
“Communities across Gippsland, like the rest of Victoria, are reeling from this decision,” Federal Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, said.
“Victoria has a vast reserve of national parks with strict environmental protections. Our state’s timber industry is the most environmentally sustainable native timber harvesting industry in the world.”
Industry representatives from Orbost to Swifts Creek and Heyfield were at the meeting, as well as local councillors, Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull, Member for Gippsland South, Danny O’Brien, and Member for Eastern Victoria, Melina Bath.
Mr Chester arranged the meeting and also brought Federal Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries, Senator Jonathon Duniam, to meet the timber representatives.
“This meeting was a chance for the industry to unite to fight this decision,” Mr Chester said.
“There’s been no consultation, no warning and the Victorian Labor Government clearly has no understanding of this sustainable industry.”
Mr Duniam said people needed to vote with their feet.
“There’s an election between now and when this is supposed to come into effect,” Mr Duniam said.
“I’d hope the government sees sense and reverses its ridiculous decision which has been done to appease the greens in Melbourne.”
Mr Chester said the ban undermined Gippsland’s proud history of supplying world-class timber products from a renewable resource.
“I won’t give up on local jobs and our small communities. It will be a long battle but one we need to fight to save our timber jobs, our timber towns and our sustainable timber industry,” he said.
Fenning Timbers principal, Leonard Fenning, said according to the Australian Forest Products Association, Australian forest industries contributed more than $23.7 billion of economic turnover annually and nationally less than 0.06 per cent of Australia’s total native forests were harvested for timber.
He said 70 per cent of Australia’s 123 million hectares of native forest was unavailable or unsuitable for native forestry operations.
“It’s time for people to stand up, we need to realise we all have something to lose,” Mr Fenning said.
PICTURED: Member for Gippsland, Darren Chester, Fenning Timber principal, Leonard Fenning, Tasmanian Senator, Jonno Duniam, Fenning Timber’s general manager, Rodney Natty, and resource manager, Brian Donchi, just prior to a meeting regarding the local forest industry’s response to the State Government’s ban on native timber harvesting.
