Death of native timber logging industry in Victoria accelerated

Timber workers will benefit from an additional $200m in support to help them transition away from the industry, which will now end next year.

Australia’s last white paper manufacturer – the Opal Australian Paper mill at Maryvale – will cease production in the Latrobe Valley. Picture: Arsineh Houspian.

The death of Victoria’s native ­timber logging industry will be accelerated, with the state government announcing it will end five years ahead of schedule on January 1, 2024.

Ongoing court litigation and severe bushfires have plagued the industry since the Andrews government first announced plans in 2019 to wrap it up by 2030. It was revealed in Tuesday’s state budget that workers and their families will receive an additional $200m in support to transition away from the industry on top of the $875m already allocated towards the transition to plantation timber.

Looking up at huge Eucalyptus trees in the Grampians, Victoria, Australia. Photo – istock Escape 7 August 2022 kendall

The move – announced in the state budget on Tuesday – surprised unions and state and federal politicians, who said the end of the industry would spell hundreds if not thousands of job cuts along with the end to the lifeblood of local communities.

CFMEU national secretary Michael O’Connor, representing timber and pulp and paper workers, said none of the relevant ­unions, employers or contractors was consulted about the decision.

“This is another decision that’s been driven by Spring Street, which hasn’t been tested by ­people who actually know what they’re talking about,” he said.

With proper industry involvement, “damage” could be mitigated, but without it he estimated up to 1000 jobs could be lost.

Nationals MP and member for Gippsland, in the state’s southeast, Darren Chester said the plan to shut down the timber industry was a “plan to kill country towns, kill wildlife, kill Australian jobs”.

“This is a Dan-made disaster, which will devastate Gippsland communities and take us a generation to recover from,” he said.

Environmental groups, however, ­welcomed the decision, including Friends of the Earth spokeswoman and lawyer Chloe Aldenhoven, who said the news meant one of the world’s “largest carbon sinks” would be protected.

“This is huge for climate mitigation and climate change in our state, keeping native forests intact is essential for tackling climate change. We’re also very heartened to see that $200m has been secured for funding the transition for forestry workers,” she said.

“Forestry communities are going to be feeling a lot of uncertainty today. There are so many opportunities for green jobs that have emerged out of this budget and we need to make sure that ­forestry workers and their communities see that investment.”

The government has promised “every single” timber worker will be directly supported to find a new job, and forest contractor workers will continue to work in forests, but in the area of bushfire reduction. It also says workers will be retrained in industries, including construction, agriculture, transport and manufacturing through TAFE.

The news comes months after Australia’s last white paper manufacturer – the Opal Australian Paper mill at Maryvale – revealed it would cease production in the Latrobe Valley, in Victoria’s southeast. The state government said it would continue to have ­discussions with Opal to move ­towards plantation supply and ­recycled products.