More than a hundred timber workers — and their work boots — have gathered outside the offices of Janelle Saffin, NSW minister and a strong proponent for the establishment of a full-sized Koala Park, to mourn the losses of thousands of jobs on the mid-north coast. The vigil, organised by the Timber, Furnishing & Textiles Union (TFTU), saw dozens of work boots laid out on the steps of the minister’s Lismore offices – each representing ten or more families impacted by the decision, along with black balloons to remember communities now under strain.
Speaking to Wood Central today, TFTU NSW Secretary Alison Rudman said vigil was in response to a policy that has already destroyed livelihoods without offering a credible pathway for those left behind: “We gathered today for an incredibly serious purpose, to mourn the timber jobs lost and to show our respect for the workers whose livelihoods have been destroyed by this decision,” Rudman said.
“The Government’s own research shows timber jobs are better paid jobs, with timber workers earning on average double what tourism workers do. Yet those jobs are being wiped out with no fair plan for those left behind.”
Speaking to the media, John Gunst – TFTU delegate and member of the Minns government’s Industry Advisory Panel – said the surrow coming from the decision to establish the park was visible in towns across the north coast: “I’ve stood beside workers who told me how they spent Father’s Day wondering how they’d feed their kids or stay in their towns,” Gunst told the media. “In places like Herons Creek, where 85 jobs out of 246 people are at stake, the loss of even one mill is devastating. I’m 66 years old, I can’t imagine having to start over at my age.”
“We’re here today to say to those workers: you’re not alone. Every person here will stand with you until the Government finalises a fair deal.”
The TFTU says the NSW Government’s response still falls far short of the support offered to displaced timber workers in Victoria, where redundancy packages and transition programs were five times higher: “Victoria showed how displaced timber workers should be treated: with dignity and proper support,” Rudman said. “In NSW, workers are being thrown scraps. This is Labor abandoning its own people in regional communities who have stood by the party for generations.”
- To learn more about the 176,000-hectare Koala Park, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
