By Derek Schlennstedt
In a protest against the indecision of the Labor State Government, logging contractors, saw mill owners and forestry workers congested the Council car park on 26 March, and urged Yarra Ranges Council to help end the uncertainty in their industry.
That uncertainty is the result of the State Government’s inability to make a decision on the state’s Timber Release Plan – a document that identifies areas that can be logged over the next three to five years.
The document is already more than a year overdue and has placed many saw mill operators and industry workers in the dire straits.
At the Yarra Ranges Council meeting forestry workers urged Council to write to the State Government on their behalf and request the immediate release of the Timber Release Plan (TRP).
Rowan Reid Managing Director of Reid Brothers sawmill in Yarra Junction said that if the State Government did not address the TRP soon the situation for many sawmill operators would be untenable.
“We employ 22 staff, most of them coming from local area, and most of them would probably struggle to find other employment if they weren’t working with us,” Mr Reid said.
“With this timber lease plan not getting signed off by the government our ability to operate is getting beyond difficult.”
Mr Reid said the delay in the TRP has hampered his ability to plan ahead.
He said this has been compounded by a 20 per cent reduction in the quotas delivered to mills in the past twelve months, and that with winter coming he may have to let staff go.
“I may have to put off staff if I don’t get that 20 percent in, and I won’t because they’ve said that already,” he said.
“At the moment, I’m mitigating that risk by turning off my overtime, not putting on new staff because I know going forward I will probably run out of work.”
“I’m mitigating the risks as best I can, and I ask for the State Government to do what they should be doing and sign off on the TRP.”
At the Council meeting Victorian Association of Forest Industries Policy and Research Manager, Tim Morrissey reminded council of the critical role they have in raising the profile of this issue with the State Government.
“This shire has the second highest number of forest industry workers in the state – 599,” he said.
“That’s four percent of this industry and roughly half the native forests sector, and two thirds of jobs in central highlands region are in and around the Yarra Ranges … Yarra Ranges will be critical in raising the profile of this issue with government.”
Yarra Ranges Councillor Jim Child, supported the motion to write a letter to the State Government and said it was deplorable for the State Government to leave this industry in limbo.
“We’re in a space now with VicForests, under direction of the State Government are giving a thing and taking a thing. I think it just deplorable that these contractor and mill owners are in this space at this particular time.”
“What our industry needs to know and they need to know now is what direction they can go in.”
The motion was approved with all Councillors except Tim Heenan supporting the need to write a letter to the State Government requesting the immediate release of The Timber Release Plan.
