After three and a half years as head of the Victorian Forest Products Association – the peak body for Victoria’s forest industry, Deb Kerr has resigned as CEO of the organisation.
As inaugural CEO, Ms Kerr was instrumental in establishing the organisation after the previous Victorian Association Of Forest Industries (VAFI) was disbanded in late 2020.
In announcing the move, the Australia Forest Products Association – the national body responsible for the country’s $28b forest products industry – thanked Ms Kerr and said: “She has done a terrific job in leading the Association through what has been some very difficult times for the industry.”
This includes the ban on Victoria’s native forest products industry, announced in May last year and enacted on January 1 this year. Yesterday, Wood Central revealed that VicForests, the state-controlled forest manager responsible for managing Victoria’s native forests, would be wound up and cease to exist after June 30, 2024.
In the coming weeks, Wood Central will report on the implications of this move for local communities connected to the “timber towns” throughout regional Victoria.
Ms Kerr has been a strong supporter of the industry and, in recent months, has contributed articles to this publication, including the importance of embracing timber as a solution for the now cancelled 2026 Commonwealth Games. She was also a key stakeholder in developing a letter signed by the 11 regional communities and supply chains of native hardwoods, furniture and industry associations that was presented to the Victorian premier in late 2023.
Ms Kerr will continue to work as CEO of the Victorian Forest Products Association until June 28, with the Australian Forest Products Association “thanking Deb for her expertise, commitment, and efforts.”
