CFMEU Manufacturing
Media Release Thursday 12 November
Trade Minister Must Wake Up in Face of China Timber Ban
The timber workers' union, CFMEU Manufacturing is calling on Trade Minster Simon Birmingham to "get out from under the doona" and urgently intervene in the face of China's damaging Aussie log import ban.
The Australian Government's utter incompetence in response to China's now constant behaviour of halting Australian agriculture and resource exports is causing chaos in regional communities around the country.
Tens of thousands of timber jobs are on the line as China's Aussie log ban, which targeted exports from Queensland last week and spread to log exports from the Green Triangle Region of Victoria and South Australia yesterday, starts to bite.
"Jobs are at risk and workers are sick and tired of the Government's excuses" said Michael O'Connor National Secretary CFMEU, Manufacturing.
"Regional industries and communities are being gutted one-by-one and we need action, not more platitudes and excuses"
"It's simple, if the current Trade Minister can't sort this out Australia needs to get one who can"
Australian exports around $600 million of roundwood (logs) to China each year, about 60% of all log exports which are currently essential to the viability and profitability of the integrated forest and forest products industry.
Earlier this week in the Senate, when asked about China's escalating behaviour against Australian producers, Minister Birmingham conceded that he has not recently spoken with his Ministerial counterpart in China.
"It's simply not good enough that our Trade Minister can't get a phone call with the people who can fix this in our largest trading partner when Aussie jobs are on the line"
"What are we paying this guy for?"
"The Australian people rightly expect and demand better from our representatives than this absolute debacle of a display which is destroying jobs" concluded Mr O'Connor.
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