The union representing Australian timber workers has slammed the Morrison Government's "Plan for Australian forestry jobs" saying it does nothing to address the biggest challenges to the industry – the timber shortage crisis, and a decision on Regional Forest Agreements which underpin job security in the industry.
"This plan fails timber workers on two fronts," National Secretary Michael O'Connor said today.
"First, it doesn't deal with the fact that we are we exporting logs we shouldn't be exporting. These are logs that could be used by local processors to help the current timber shortage in the home building sector.
"And second, it doesn't make it clear that the Government supports Regional Forest Agreements.
"The Government has been sitting on a 2020 review* that threatens to gut Regional Forest Agreements. Until we get a commitment from the Government that they will reject this review, no timber job is safe."
The union said today's announcement contained no measures that would immediately address the timber shortage crisis, and the Federal Government should have looked to the NSW Government's plan to divert export logs.
"The NSW Government has committed $3.65 million which will see 270,000 tonnes of logs diverted from export. The Morrison Government could have turned this into a national policy which would have had an immediate impact on timber shortages."
The union said it welcomes any financial assistance to the industry, but the plan announced today was deficient.
"The Morrison Government needs to explain exactly how it plans to achieve its 2017 target of one billion plantation trees by 2030, because they've presided over a 10.1% decline of plantation estate since 2014, and today's announcement won't cut it."
*the Independent Review of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act by Graeme Samuels
