Victorian budget: Timber harvesting to end January 1

The Andrews government has caved to environment groups’ legal challenges to lock up state forests, announcing an end to native timber harvesting in today’s budget.

Native timber harvesting will end on January 1 next year, after the Andrews Government caved in to environment groups’ legal challenges that have locked up State Forests.

Treasurer Tim Pallas said “the courts have taken the decision out of our hands”, forcing the government to abandon its 2019 decision to phase out native forest logging by 2030.

“I have a great degree of sympathy concern for forest workers and communities, who are in an industry they have been attached to for a long period,” he said.

“(But) the advice we have got is there is no way forward through this.”

Victoria’s 560 timber workers and mills will share in a $200 million timber harvesting transition support package, to be rolled out over the next four years, which Mr Pallas said would be used for case management support, business support for mills and to assist workers to move into land and fire management.

Of the $200 million, there is:

$80 million for sawmill owners and workers;

$80 million for harvest and haulage contractors;

$35 million for downstream supply chain business assistance; and

$5 million to upgrade forestry management plans.

The $200 million is on top of the $173 million already allocated this financial year to assist Australian Paper and workers with the legal lock-up of forests.

The decision comes despite VicForests’ appeal against Supreme Court Justice Richards’ decision of last November that locked harvest and haulage contractors out of most State Forests.

When asked why the Government has not waited until the appeal decision had been made, Mr Pallas said: “Regardless of the outcome of the decision, there will be another one (legal action)”.

CFMEU Manufacturing Division National Secretary Michael O’Connor slammed the support package and said the decision was “gut-wrenching”.

He said the union and the industry had been imploring the government to negotiate with them and timing of the move on budget day was an attempt to distract from bad news.

“Our priority for our members will be to compel the Victorian Government to renegotiate the worker support package,” Mr O’Connor said.

“This isn’t a transition strategy this is a media strategy geared at taking the heat off the Government for their pathetic bungling.

“We are now left with a similar disorganised sham approach which has plagued this industry since the Government announced their 2030 shut down plan four years ago.

“The Victorian Government has again demonstrated its arrogance and ignorance by acting recklessly, heartlessly and unilaterally.”

Environmental Justice Australia Lawyer Co-CEO Nicola Rivers appluaded the decision, saying it was an “amazing day for all the people who have fought to save threatened species from extinction, whether it was in the court room, in the streets, or in the forest surveying for threatened species”.

Victorian Forest Products Association ceo Deb Kerr condemned the Government’s decision to prematurely end native forestry, walking away from the promised 2030 phase-out deadline. “This decision will devastate our native hardwood businesses, their people and families along with regional Victorian communities,” Ms Kerr said.