The president of Timber NSW, Andrew Hurford, is urging the NSW Premier to renew the wood supply agreements and also improve conditions for private native forestry. Hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs await certainty before the $2.9 billion dollar wood supply agreements terminate in 2028.
Wood Central can reveal the catch-up between the Premier and Andrew Hurford took place this afternoon at the Lismore Show Society, where members, volunteers and sponsors were thanked for their work rebuilding the showgrounds after catastrophic flooding. Hurford — CEO of Hurford Hardwood and a major Show Society sponsor — was among those present.
The NSW Government committed significant funding to restore the damaged facility. Reconstruction is underway, with Janelle Saffin, Minister for Small Business, Recovery and the North Coast, overseeing progress.
The Premier’s office has yet to confirm a timeline for the Forest Industry Plan — the document expected to determine the viability of businesses and thousands of jobs in forestry, milling, transport and logistics across regional NSW.
It comes as Wood Central reported that NSW North Coast hardwood contracts face no guarantee beyond 2028, with the industry still waiting on a binding policy. Minns previously toured Hurford’s Casino and Kempsey mills ahead of his government’s decision to lock up 176,000 hectares of North Coast state forest within an enlarged Great Koala National Park — a move that triggered an immediate harvesting moratorium and cut supply to six mills overnight.
