Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Tourism) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

[by video link] Today I make my first remote virtual contribution to the parliament. In doing so, I'm pleased to speak in support of a strong, robust and vital component of our resources industry in Tasmania: our forestry industry. In particular, I would like to express Labor's ongoing support of the Tasmanian native timber industry. It is an industry which is able to operate within a sustainable and environmentally responsible framework allowing it to coexist with other key industries, such as tourism; contribute to bushfire hazard reduction and firefighting; and to form a key part of a comprehensive network of forest estates and reserves that manage and protect key cultural and environmental heritage.

The context of my contribution today should be considered against the backdrop of a crash in the broader jobs market and the absolute need for government to focus on creating jobs as its No. 1 priority. I am particularly concerned that, in the face of a national collapse in the jobs market, we may see that regional areas are overlooked and forgotten when it comes to developing policies to create new jobs. Sadly, it has been the case with this government that our regions are often forgotten. But our regions are so vital for the overall success of our nation. They provide our energy, minerals, food and fibre and many of the best tourism experiences to be found anywhere in the world. There is much that regions across Tasmania have to offer and much that can be done to support good, secure jobs in these regions—jobs that provide a livelihood workers and their families can rely on.

Now more than ever we must remain focused on the need to support existing jobs whilst also creating new jobs in multiple industries to ensure that the first recession this nation has experienced in 30 years is as short as possible. Unfortunately, the government has been slow to react to this need and appears far too willing to withdraw support too early and not willing enough to make the timely investments necessary to grow our way out of this recession. Indeed, the government expects 400,000 Australians to lose their jobs between now and Christmas, yet many months into this pandemic we are yet to see any substantive plan to create new jobs. What we need from the government is a plan—a jobs plan. What regional Tasmania needs from the government is a plan to support and grow industries that can supply jobs in regional areas and across key supply chains.

The forestry industry can deliver on both of these fronts whilst also contributing significantly to a rebound in sustainable, environmentally friendly domestic manufacturing. The forestry industry already makes a significant contribution to Tasmania. It supplies over 3,000 direct jobs in primary and secondary processing, and more than 2½ thousand indirect jobs are generated as a result of demand from the forestry industry. These jobs are spread throughout every corner of the state and particularly throughout our regions. In 2018-19 Tasmanian forests produced more than 1.5 million tonnes of wood fibre.

At this time when so many jobs are being lost the last thing we need to be doing is attacking or tearing down our reliable and sustainable industries like the Tasmanian native and plantation forest industries. So it is disappointing that the Bob Brown Foundation has chosen this time to attack the industry through litigation by challenging the validity of the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement. The Bob Brown Foundation's action is designed to shut down this important industry, which provides an income and livelihood for many thousands of Tasmanians while sustainably providing quality and essential product to the world. Tasmanians, particularly regional Tasmanians, are fed up with these sorts of actions. They don't want this industry shut down. They want us all to work together to grow our forest industry, alongside other key industries, like agriculture, energy, tourism and hospitality.

The workers and families who rely on this industry are tired of these never-ending attacks from an increasingly extreme green movement that is out of touch with the aspirations of most Tasmanians. It is also out of touch with the reality of the situation when it comes to conservation in Tasmania. Modern Tasmania's record of conserving areas of natural significance is amongst the best in the world. More than half of Tasmania's landmass is protected, the majority managed by the Parks and Wildlife Service. Nearly half of Tasmania's landmass is forested—3.35 million hectares. These forests are conserved, managed and harvested under a system that includes a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system; sustainably managed forests outside reserves; and the maintenance of a permanent native forest estate. Our forestry industry operates within this robust regulatory framework to strike the right balance between the environmental, economic and social objectives.

The federal Labor Party is prepared to work collaboratively to ensure that the RFA framework is not undermined by the Bob Brown Foundation's latest attack on Tasmania's timber industry. It is an industry that Tasmanians should be proud of—indeed, the vast majority are. From Scottsdale to Geeveston, Smithton to Triabunna, New Norfolk to Mowbray, truck drivers to harvesting contractors, small timber mills and specialty timber product producers to large-scale paper and veneer mills, and even the housing industry and our ports, forestry in Tasmania underpins many towns, regions, families, workers and businesses.

Labor is a strong supporter of regional forest agreements. We want to see this framework remain in place so that it can continue to deliver on outcomes across a range of key indicators, including important conservation outcomes. We recognise the critical role wood has to play in a sustainable future for global manufacturing and construction. It is important that Australia plays an active role as a world leader in this field, promoting the sustainable management and harvesting of both our native and plantation forestry industries and promoting the role of wood in manufacturing and construction through investment in research and development and industry partnerships. Australia's native forest industry is already amongst the most sustainable in the world. The industry uses the equivalent of just six trees out of every 10,000 annually. Ultimately, every tree is replaced as harvested areas are regrown and regenerated.

Labor took a strong suite of policies to the last election aimed at strengthening and growing our forest industry and creating new jobs in expanding markets. Indeed, our policies at the last election were well received by industry, particularly our election commitment to remove the government's water rule so that more trees could be planted, grown and sustainably harvested. Removal of the water rule would represent a win for jobs, industry, sustainable markets, the environment and greenhouse gas abatement. In this way, we demonstrated a real, practical commitment to growing our plantation estate by more than one billion trees—a key goal of the industry.

However, this sensible, evidence based election policy was at the time met with fierce opposition from the agriculture minister, David Littleproud. He went so far as to declare that removing the water rule would be 'reckless'. Now we know that, in recent months, the government has been forced to back-pedal on its hardline position against growing our plantation estate, dangling out the possibility that the water rule would be removed for certain areas. But the announcement really amounts to spin over substance. It requires the agriculture minister to specify in writing which regions would be excluded from the water rule. It is not a national approach and it will not provide the clear policy mechanism needed to grow our plantation estate.

The government is long on rhetoric in its support for the forest industry, but unfortunately, as with so many things, when it comes to delivery they are so often left wanting. For example, the promised forestry specific concessional loans announced during the 2019 election still don't exist. They are always there for the photo-op but never there for the follow-up. I implore the government to do all it can to not only provide rhetorical support for the industry but also follow through with a policy package aimed squarely at securing its future and creating jobs, particularly in our regions. Labor is committed to listening to our regions. Indeed, regional policy and, in particular, regional jobs will be a key focus for Labor up to the next election. These jobs will come in many areas, including aged care, health, tourism, mining, transport, agriculture, aquaculture and renewable energy. But, for Tasmania's regions at least, sustainable native forestry, as well as growing plantation estate, will always be a key source of income. Tasmania's regions can rely on Labor to support the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement and commit to growing the industry, so that it can continue to create new jobs and support many families for generations— (Time expired)