Victoria's native forest industry face hundreds of job losses and big cuts in timber harvesting under Commonwealth/state forest agreements proposed for Gippsland and western Victoria. The industry, shocked by the size of cutbacks outlined in papers released by the steering Committee preparing the agreements, is calling for government assistance for workers and Sawmillers who could be forced out of business.
The Federal and Governments have distanced themselves from the reports, saying neither has formally considered the committee's proposals. The governments are due to finalise and sign off the forest agreements by 31 March.
The reports propose a 40 per cent increase in the forests protected in conservation reserves in western Victoria and a 51 per cent increase in Gippsland. However, the reserves are mostly areas recovering from logging or already informally set aside under previous plans.
The bulk of the timber reduction is therefore due to a recalculation by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. One of the worst hit areas is the Wombat State Forest, where the estimated available sawlogs has been scaled down from 58,600 tonnes a year to 45,000 tonnes. If the proposed conservation reserves are approved, a further 5000 tonnes will be lost.
A spokesman for the Wombat Forest Society, Mr Tim Anderson, said the reduction vindicated his analysis six months ago that concluded the forest would be exhausted within 15 years unless the department dramatically reduced timber harvesting.
The then Conservation Minister, Mrs Marie Tehan, rejected the report and assured the industry that all was well. The Victorian Association of Forest Industries resources director, Mr John Drohan, said rural communities expected Labor would support regional development and jobs, but the consultation papers were silent on measures to minimise the impact of job losses.
Mr Drohan said the proposed sawlog reductions went far beyond what the industry would expect in any routine revision. He said the obligation for sustainable timber harvesting rested with the department. The state coordinator for Timber Communities Australia, Mrs Kersten Gentle, said the reports wielded an axe over rural communities. She said sawmillers and loggers had harvested the forest and invested in new equipment in good faith, only to be faced now with massive reductions in timber.
The president-of the Cobaw and Wombat Forest Action Group, Mr Marcus Ward, said conservationists did not want local job losses either. He called for sawmill jobs to be saved by phasing the industry into plantations.
A department spokeswoman said the recalculation was based on the latest scientific information and released for public discussion.