A Peter Dutton-led coalition government has provided “an ironclad commitment” to continue supporting Australia’s 10 Regional Forestry Agreements (RFAs), which are, in effect, long-term plans for the sustainable management and conservation of Australia’s native forests.
That is according to Jono Duniam, shadow Forestry Minister, who has doubled down in supporting the federal-state agreements in Victoria (5), Western Australia (3), New South Wales (1) and Tasmania (1).
“Supporting RFAs means supporting our environment, the jobs and communities that rely on this industry,” Duniam told Nick Steel, Tasmania’s Forest Products Association (TFPA) CEO, last week.
In recent years, RFAs have become highly contentious, with Tanya Plibersek, Australia’s incumbent Minister for Environment and Water, pushing for Australia’s new environmental laws – now delayed until after the May 3 election – to be applied to the agreements.
According to Mr Steel, the RFA model holds the state’s forestry businesses to the highest level of scrutiny, ensuring that the industry leads the world in terms of environmental and sustainability standards.
“It’s a tough system, but our industry knows it’s the best way to manage our forests, as well as to ensure certainty for our businesses. That’s why we’ve welcomed Senator Duniam’s announcement,” Mr Steel said. “We’re now calling on Labor to show the same commitment to the thousands of Tasmanians across our state who are employed by our forestry businesses and back our existing Tasmanian RFA.”
- To learn more about RFAs and why the Australian timber industry is concerned that the Albanese-supported Nature Positive Laws could risk the legality of native forestry, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
