Labor’s Decision to Help End Native Logging Could Fuel More Illegal Activity: Industry

Logged trees in Mountain Ash forest, Victoria, Australia, on April 30, 2018. (AAP Image/The Australian National University)

Native forest logging will soon become illegal in the Australian state of Victoria after a string of legal actions from environmental groups hamstrung logging activity.

The move, which comes amid a shortage in timber supply, has been warned by the sector to lead to more illegal logging, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs and putting a strain on the country’s wood supply.

In the state budget announced on May 23, the centre-left Andrews government announced a $200 million (US$132 million) package for timber workers to transition away from logging in native forests for wood pulp. This brings the total funding for the transition to over $875 million.

According to a Victorian government spokeswoman, the change is expected to directly affect 900 workers, including 366 sawmill workers.

The early closure means the end date of the sector will be moved to Jan 1, 2024, six years sooner than the planned date in 2030.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said in a statement on Tuesday that native forestry has been hit with prolonged legal action, court decisions and bushfires.

Andrews noted that there are “no alternative timber supply sources available domestically or internationally that can mitigate supply chain disruption to Victorian mills.”

He also said there are “ no options for regulatory reform which can prevent legal injunctions continuing to disrupt native timber harvesting operations.”

“All of that has drastically cut the timber supply we can actually use. And that’s left workers in complete limbo,” he said.

“Hundreds of workers across Victoria haven’t been able to work a day in recent months. They’ve got no certainty over their jobs. They don’t even know when they’ll be able to get back to work.”

“We have been right there with impacted communities, providing support payments to keep workers in their jobs and paid – but the uncertainty has taken a toll on communities, families and mental health.”

“It simply cannot continue.”

Timber workers will be supported to find a new job, while forest contractor workers will be secured with contracts for forest management works. However, as the median age of timber and wood process workers is 38 years, it could be difficult for them to transition to other jobs.

VicForests Facing Headwinds

The department in charge of the sector, the state-owned logging agency VicForests, has suffered a record loss of A$52.4 million (US$34.73 million) in the 2021-22 financial year after legal injunctions halted logging.

In 2022, VicForests was hit with six court cases in the Victorian Supreme Court, all of which alleged that the agency has illegally logged in areas of protected wildlife.

Some of the community environment groups that challenged VicForests in court include the Wildlife of the Central Highlands (WOTCH), Environment East Gippsland, Gippsland Environment Group, Warburton Environment, and Flora and Fauna Research Collective Inc.

At the same time, VicForests was also struggling to meet wood supply targets and facing stand-down payments.

Logging Ban Will Lead To More Illegal Logging: Sector

The logging sector resists the ban, with the Australian Forest Products Association saying the decision to fast-track the ending of “selective and sustainable native forest harvesting is an unnecessary surrender to environmental activists” and will lead to more unsustainable and illegal logging in other countries.

“It will result in even more hardwood being imported into Victoria from Tasmania and NSW. It will also add to current imports – already worth $5.5 billion – much of which comes from the tropical forests of developing nations with lesser environmental standards than Australia,” AFPA CEO Joel Fitzgibbon said.

“That’s no way to protect and conserve Australia’s native forest estate or to halt global deforestation practices.”

“Sustainable forestry management practices play no role in deforestation in Australia, and decision-makers need to understand the ramifications of their decisions.”

Victorian Forest Products Association (VRPA) argued native forestry in the state has already been in bad shape due to extensive red tape.

“Despite our relentless efforts to oppose this decision, unfortunately, rationality did not prevail,”  VRPA chief executive Deb Kerr said.

The Victorian agriculture spokeswoman Emma Kealy also warned that the move would “kill our timber industry and cause untold damage to our regional communities.”

Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union national secretary Michael O’Connor told The Australian that the government’s failure to consult with unions would “maximise the chances that the impact on people is going to be worse.”

Greens and Environment Groups Want More Actions

Environmental groups and the Australian Greens, however, applauded the decision.

“There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure these forests are permanently protected from all kinds of destructive practices—not just conventional logging,” said Victorian Forest Alliance campaign coordinator Chris Schuringa.

Wilderness Society national campaigns director Amelia Young argued that Victoria’s native forests must be managed “for the benefit of the community, and not for the interests of multinational paper and packaging companies.”

The Greens said it is a win for all the environmental groups, local community members and Greens.

“If the Albanese government is serious about fighting climate change and protecting our environment, it must now follow the lead of Victoria and other state governments and stop all native forest logging,” said federal Greens forests spokeswoman Janet Rice.

AAP contributed to this article