Forestry industry calls for clarity and support after State’s “devastating” decision to end native logging

Just two months after the tumultuous decision to end native forest logging, representatives of the native timber industry have come together to voice their suffering ahead of the second industry transition meeting. Forestry business owners and workers staged a peaceful protest outside the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury on Friday to coincide with the second meeting of the newly launched State-lead native forestry transition group. It comes 11 weeks after the State Government announced the end of native forest logging by 2024, promising to protect an additional 400,000 hectares of karri, jarrah and wandoo forests through the Forest Management Plan. The promise has left the WA’s native forest industry blindsided with limited clarity into the future of the industry which employs generates more than $220 million a year. Forest Industries Federation WA chief executive Adele Farina lead the protest calling on the government to support timber businesses who have been impacted by the ban. “Impacted timber businesses are still waiting on answers to basic questions, including clarity on the State Government’s vision of what industry is required to transition to,” she said. “A vacuum of information is compounding industry uncertainty, with frustration levels increasing with each passing day and that is what we are seeing at the protest today — that frustration is understandably spilling over.” Ms Farina said the inability of the government to answer the most basic requests for information 11 weeks after its announcement was simply not good enough. Parkside Timber WA resource manager Dan Maples said the decision had been “devastating” to the industry. “We are families, we are log truck owners, we are harvesting operators, we are customers, we are a whole resource that supplies not just a small part of WA but interstate and internationally,” he said. “We are losing staff right now, we have got markets sitting there that want to absorb sustainable resource but now we don't have the volume that could support that.” Mr Maples said there was an incorrect perception about the forestry industry, and their job was rooted in supporting the suitability of the forest. “We are custodians of it, and we do sustainably manage it, I don't care what is said,” he said. “I used to be a forester myself, and it is an incredibly sustainable resource, and the management of that is going to be lost if we’re not careful.” Waugh Forrest Services director Brett Waugh said he was disappointed he had seen such little action from the forestry transition group since making such a “life-altering” announcement. “We want to make it heard that forestry workers and businesses exist in the South West, we aren’t just numbers on the page,” he said. “We need to know what we are transitioning to and we need some outcomes, we cant just be pushed under the carpet. “It’s been a struggle, there is a lot of businesses that invested heavily in the industry and committed to the industry, the future is very uncertain and the same for our employees, they are very uncertain of their future and asking a lot of questions.” Middlesex Mill managing director Michael Drake said he thought the government would “regret” the decision once essential industries can no longer access timber supply. “I think there will be a lot of regret post 2023 when essential businesses cant get their timber, like the wharfs, we cut a lot of wharf timber, if you can’t dock ships I’m sure we will see a lot of issues around,” he said. “We just need some assurance about what is really going on.” JC Forestry director John Clarke said the announcement to impose the ban was “cruel and heartless” without consultation with the industry. “I think they just made this decision to appease a few green-left elitists, and its the most terrible decision I think I've ever heard a Premier make in my whole life,” he said. “We are one of the very few truly sustainable industries on the planet, and to this day I can not understand it.” Forestry Minister Dave Kelly said industry workers will be given clarity as soon as the final details of the plan are finalised. “The McGowan Government is investing $50 million for a Just Transition Plan to support workers, businesses and communities to support their transition out of large scale commercial native forestry” he said. “The Native Forestry Transition Group is developing assistance packages for workers and businesses, funded as part of the $50m Just Transition Plan, and details will be finalised as soon as possible.” “FIFWA is well represented on the Native Forestry Transition Group and is aware of the timeframes for the work to be completed.”