Tasmanian Sawmillers say industry under threat from interstate operators

The end of native forest logging in Victoria has brought with it unanticipated consequences for Tasmanian sawmills. DETAILS >

Forestry advocate Terry Edwards speaks to the media on Parliament Lawns in Hobart on Friday, July 14, 2023.

Tasmania’s sawmills are facing an unprecedented threat to their survival from cashed-up Victorian companies looking for timber after that state’s ban on native forest logging, the industry says.

Longtime former CEO of the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania Terry Edwards has come out of retirement to advocate for a number of sawmills who feel like their future is under threat.

He says the end to native forest logging in Victoria — and government payouts and payouts to industry in that state — meant local producers were likely to be outbid in access to plantation sawlogs.

“Taxpayer money was used to put these plantations in the ground, specifically to protect the Tasmanian processing sector,” he said.

“We now see Sustainable Timber Tasmania saying to those sawmills, you have no preferential right to those plantations, they will be sold to the highest bidder, even if the bidder is a sawmill owned by the Victorian Government, which is the situation we are confronting today.

“We expect much better than that from the Tasmanian Government.

“If these forests are exported to Victoria the wealth creation and the employment will all be in Victoria, not in Tasmania and that is unacceptable.”

The sawmillers woes come after complaints Victoria operators had undercut a local operator on a haulage contract.

The government has suspended the issuing of contracts and ordered a review of arrangements intended to favour local operators.

Opposition leader Rebecca White with forestry advocate Terry Edwards on Parliament Lawns in Hobart on Friday, July 14, 2023.

Labor leader Rebecca White said her party would stand with the industry to find a solution.

“The government need to make a clear and unequivocal commitment that the plantation resource will be made available on a first right of refusal basis to Tasmania sawmillers.

“These are companies that intergenerational companies that have been operating in our state and who provide jobs and understand our industry will provide much broader benefits than just direct employment but also provide economic and social benefits for so many thousands of Tasmanians.

“And right now the government seems to be taking an approach where they’re looking to sell Tasmania resources to the highest bidder, namely Victoria, at the expense of Tasmanian companies in Tasmania, families and their jobs.”

Minister for Resources Felix Ellis said accused Labor of adopting Greens policies.

“Tasmanians will never forget when Labor did a deal with the Greens to destroy the forest industry and the damage that did to so many Tasmanian families and businesses,” he said.

“We have also seen Labor’s grassroots environmental movement Labor Environment Action Network flex their muscles in an attempt to remove support for native forestry from the party platform.

“Will Dean Winter and his Right faction supporters be able to keep control of the caucus on forestry policy, or will Rebecca White and Labor do another deal with the Greens to once again sell out forestry families and their jobs?”

Acting Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff said Tasmania should follow Victoria’s lead and get out of native forest logging.

Originally published as Tasmanian Sawmillers say industry under threat from interstate operators