The Queensland Government has unveiled its Future Timber Plan (QFTP), a long-term blueprint designed to ‘future-proof’ the timber supply needed to build one million homes by 2044. Now open for public consultation, Wood Central can reveal that the new plan outlines five key priorities to guide the development of a sustainable, competitive, and innovative forestry and timber industry.
The five priorities are:
- Securing sustainable timber supply for housing, construction, infrastructure, and other industries
- Establishing supply chain competitiveness on an international scale
- Developing better regulations that the community sees benefits in
- Building and retaining a viable fit-for-purpose workforce in rural and regional economies
- Modernising and innovating the Queensland forestry and timber industry through research, development and extension
Wood Central understands these priorities will be delivered through rolling five-year action plans and will form a central component of the Government’s broader Primary Industries Prosper 2050 strategy, which aims to grow primary production output to $30 billion by 2030.
According to Tony Perrett, Queensland’s Minister for Primary Industries, the plan will allow the industry to reset and address long-standing supply challenges. “This plan is about securing a reliable and sustainable timber supply to meet Queensland’s growing housing, construction, and infrastructure needs, all while protecting jobs and building regional economies,” he said. “Successive Labor governments have failed Queenslanders and caused shortfalls in timber supply. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of Queensland’s forestry and timber industries.”
Plan sparks fierce criticism from environmental groups.
Queensland’s Conservation Council yesterday labelled it “tunnel vision and dangerous,” claiming the strategy prioritises native forest logging at the expense of endangered greater gliders and other forest-dependent threatened species.
According to Mick Stephens, CEO of Timber Queensland, the draft plan provides clear recognition of the vital contribution this industry makes to the state economy as well as the social and environmental benefits from sustainably managed forests. “For too long, this sector has been neglected at the expense of rural and regional jobs, green building outcomes and housing affordability,” Stephens said. “The Government listened to our call at the last election for a comprehensive plan to remove productivity barriers and has put the forest and timber industry back at the forefront of strategic economic development.”
“We support the plan’s key focus areas of securing future supply, delivering an internationally competitive supply chain, better regulation, workforce development and greater innovation and extension. These focus areas will help deliver the additional resources, processing capacity and skilled jobs to meet the rising demand for timber building materials,” according to Stephens, who as Timber Queensland CEO represents the state’s $4 billion timber industry.
Timber Queensland’s wishlist
Stephens said an important next step will be to identify and implement key actions to support the 25-year plan. Areas he is now focusing on for priority action in the first five-year period include:
- A targeted planting program of additional plantations to complement existing resources and downstream processing
- Long-term crown resource contracts for the native hardwood industry, noting most existing contracts expire at the end of 2026
- A world-class, industry-led private forest grower and landholder extension service, including partnerships with Indigenous communities
- Lifting international competitiveness through investment in infrastructure, resource recovery, and value-added technologies
- Smoothing cyclical market fluctuations through long-term public procurement and leveraging major projects such as the Brisbane Olympics
- Removing sovereign risk through a long-term right to harvest in sustainably managed private native forests
- Removing policy and financial barriers to investment in plantations and farm forestry, including existing impediments in the Land Restoration Fund
Looking ahead, Perrett reinforced the plan’s long-term ambition. “This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of Queensland’s forestry and timber industries and ensure there is renewable Queensland timber to build homes and deliver on our infrastructure needs.” And with Queensland’s population projected to grow by 2.2 million residents over the next 20 years, Perrett said the new plan aims to ensure the state is equipped with the timber resources needed to meet future housing demand—while delivering lasting economic, environmental, and social benefits for communities across the state.
- Please Note: Stakeholders will have until September 3 to have their say on the 25-year Queensland Future Timber Plan. Click here for more information.
