By Tim Lester, Australian Forest Contractors Association
On 23 May 2023, without any prior warning, the Victorian Government announced the closure of the native timber industry on 31 December 2023 for commercial harvest in the east of the state, and 30 June 2024 for community forestry in the west.
The option of five-year Forest and Fire Management Services Agreements for harvest contractors is a positive development. But for haulage operators there is no opt in pathway. They will be forced to take a package which fundamentally fails to recognise the value of their business or continue under standdown arrangements to 30 June 2024 and then exit. A contract payout is not compensation.
The community will be increasingly confronted with what this decision means in practice. Timber Towns Victoria estimates 2650 jobs will disappear and the economy of regional Victoria will drop by $714 million. What will this mean for your town, your school, the local services you rely on?
Meanwhile firewood to heat your home will come from somewhere else, if you can pay for it. Timber for your deck from South East Asia or further. We won’t save the planet by putting more pressure on other people’s resources.
AFCA and other forest industry representatives have been seeking to meet with Premier Allan, to date unsuccessfully. A government that had the courage of its convictions would front up to the people and communities most affected and tell them directly how their multi-generational businesses are unsustainable. And how a contract termination payment is fair compensation for a lifetime of hard work, six years of lost earnings and incalculable stresses and anxieties.
For members of the community concerned about or affected by these decisions make sure you write, call or email your local member of Parliament and let them know.
