Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union
The Victorian Government has been accused of lying to the public after a spokesperson for Premier Daniel Andrews provided a statement to the ABC that falsely claimed the timber union had failed to respond to offers of briefings following the announcement that the native forest industry was to be phased out.
The statement read: "The CFMMEU was offered briefings from the government on numerous occasions. The government has not received a response."
The union said this statement was simply a lie and slammed the government for attempting to deceive communities angered by the deeply flawed policy.
Construction Forestry Maritime Mining and Energy Union National Secretary Michael O'Connor said the government's lie came after the union wrote to Labor MPs last week informing them that a request to meet the Premier about the policy remained without response a month after it was sent.
"This statement is a lie, pure and simple," Mr O'Connor said.
"Premier Daniel Andrews needs to explain why a spokesperson from his office was authorised to provide this false statement to the media.
"This false statement was clearly a desperate attempt to distract from the fact that six weeks after the Victorian Government's forestry policy was announced, it is in total disarray.
"Most caucus members were likely shocked to hear the extent of the Victorian Government's bungling of this issue and the extent that jobs and communities are going to be gutted.
"Instead of addressing the flaws in the policy through consultation with the union, workers and the broader industry, the Government is relying on pathetic and false excuses."
Mr O'Connor said the union was due to meet the Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions, alongside representatives of contractor and sawmilling representatives, in November, however the Department cancelled that meeting an hour before it was due to commence.
"The shambolic policy announcement has been followed by a chaotic consultation process," he said.
"It's a bad policy and a pathetic process, and the Government should take responsibility for it rather than lying.
"The scant amount of information which has been made available by the Department and VicForests has only amplified the confusion, anger and hurt felt by workers and communities that are directly impacted.
"This policy is a cruel, 'un-Labor-like' response to the challenges facing our industry.
"It risks jobs, including those it was meant to secure at businesses like Australian Paper, is unfair compared to previous forestry industry restructures delivered by previous Labor Government, and it leaves workers and communities on the scrapheap.
"Our union reiterates our call for the Government to genuinely engage with the people this policy is going to hurt and their representatives in order to address and fix the many flaws in their proposed approach."
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