Australia can build a sustainable, world-leading forestry and wood processing sector to aid its push toward net zero and supply in-demand timbers locally and abroad. That is according to Julie Collins, Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who spoke to state-based forest ministers, unions, and businesses yesterday about a new Timber Fibre Strategy during a Forestry Industry Roundtable.
“As a Tasmanian, I understand just how important Australia’s timber industry is to our economy and our environment, and I want to see it not only thrive but continue to adhere to our high standards of sustainable forest management and production,” Minister Collins told the Strategy Forest and Renewable Materials Partnership in Hobart.
“Timber is a sustainable, renewable product that embeds carbon in products we need. I want to see Australian timber play a bigger role in our domestic market and strengthen our exports.”
Julie Collins, Australia’s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry on the future of the country’s forest and wood products industry.
Minister Collins, who last week told the Australian Forest Products Association industry dinner that the Albanese government “would not turn on native forestry,” said that the Strategy will help “capitalise on our $300 million investment in the industry by working with industry, unions and my state and territory counterparts.”
Identified in the 2024/25 Federal Budget, the Albanese government is investing $300 million into foresty, which includes:
- Over $100 million for transformative research, development and innovation for the timber industry through Australian Forest and Wood Innovations
- Over $100 million to support the medium and long-term sustainability of our wood processing sector through the Accelerate Adoption of Wood Processing Innovation program
- Over $73 million to expand Australia’s future wood supply through the Support Plantation Establishment program and $10 million in the industry’s training needs through the Forestry Workforce Training Program.
The latest pledge comes after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese overruled Tanya Plibersek, his Environmental Minister and scuttled last-minute negotiations to secure a deal on Nature Positive Laws during the Christmas parliamentary shut-down period. This 11th-hour intervention led Sarah Hanson-Young, the Greens’ environmental spokesperson, to accuse the forestry (and mining) industries of bullying the Prime Minister into influencing policy.
“The Prime Minister has been bullied by the mining and logging lobby again,” Ms Hanson-Young claimed – who had pushed the government to trade Regional Forest Agreements (which are federal-state deals that enjoy an exemption from national environment laws on the basis that reserves and forest practice requirements were sufficient) in exchange for a guaranteed passage for the Nature Positive Bill.
- To find out why the Australian government scuttled negotiations with the Greens over the Nature Positive Bill this week and why this decision will protect Australia’s native forest industry (for now), click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
