Australia’s only dedicated timber union has slammed Chris Minns and the NSW Government for shafting regional workers tied up in the Great Koala Park, arguing that the redundancy packages offered to New South Welshmen were “at least five times worse” than those given to Victorians.
That is according to Alison Rudman, the NSW Secretary for the Timber, Furnishings and Textiles Union (TDTU), who said the packages offered by the government showed a total lack of respect for timber workers tied up in the 176,000-hectare park: “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.”
Rudman said the government is dragging its heels on key details: “We’ve asked again and again for information about how their scheme for unemployed workers will actually operate,” she said. “Instead, the Government hides behind press releases and spin while workers face unemployment.”
According to the union, hundreds of workers all along the Mid North Coast are already reporting deep anxiety as mill closures loom. Many have had to break the news at home that their livelihoods are at risk, heightening stress for families and communities alike. In towns such as Herons Creek, where the local sawmill accounts for roughly one-third of all employment, potential redundancies pose a significant existential threat.
“When you kill the timber industry, you kill the towns. Schools, health services and small businesses all suffer,” Rudman warned. “The so-called replacement jobs in tourism don’t exist. That’s the reality this Government is ignoring.”
