Malcolm Roberts (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Our Australian forestry industry is one of Australia's largest manufacturers, employing around 80,000 hardworking people across the value chain and contributing more than $24 billion of economic turnover to our economy every year. A further 100,000 people are in jobs supported through flow-on economic activity. Yet now the people's wealth is under threat. Green ideology working for globalist predators seeking to control people threatens all this wealth going into the pockets of everyday Australians and regional communities.

Timber—look around—is a natural material with great warmth and versatility. In this beautiful building, Australia's seat of government, native hardwoods are used throughout the building, chosen for colour and durability. The Sydney Opera House uses timber in the public areas for the same reason. The use of timbers from all over Australia expresses our national identity. That's probably why the globalist Greens are trying to destroy the Australian timber industry. Under globalist policies, there is no national identity—only unrelenting oppression of individual sovereignty and slavish adherence to a woke agenda that borders on evil. Regional forestry agreements preserve the important principle of competitive federalism and states' rights. Regional forestry agreements protect our timber industry, and One Nation will defend the right of states to defend their timber industry.

One Nation strongly supports the Australian plantation industry and the workers, communities, regions, states and nation that it supports. Timber is the original renewable building product. We will hear about a circular economy in this parliament where the elites that own and use the green movement get to buy expensive new things while everyday Australians are left with second-hand and recycled goods to rent—supposedly in the name of sustainability. Like hell! We are one community, we are one nation and plantation timber is an amazing, beautiful, durable building product that should be available to everyone.