Thursday, 20 March 2025

Timber industry

Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (00:38): (1089) My adjournment tonight is to the Minister for Agriculture, and the action I seek is for the minister to provide for the businesses that the government said it would – the supports for the end of the timber industry. On 23 August 2023 agriculture minister Gayle Tierney put out a media release stating the Andrews Labor government had announced the expansion of timber worker supports. It said it would support businesses that were impacted but not licensed to VicForests, and the media release cited firewood sellers, guitar makers and seed collectors as examples. But 18 months later firewood sellers Tim and Andrea Knight, the very type of business that it was stated would be supported, are not. They are now told the forestry transition support packages for businesses are being directed to those that had a contractual relationship with VicForests or businesses that offered specialised services to either VicForests or sawmills. This was not in the original statement from Minister Tierney. Minister Tierney said businesses that were not licensed to VicForests would be supported. The Knights have also been told by the department that they have been classified as retailers and as retailers they may choose to source their product from elsewhere or sell alternate products.

This raises three points. Firstly, they were purchasing directly from VicForests, so how are they not eligible? Secondly, they may be technically able to purchase from other suppliers, but they simply cannot purchase firewood at an affordable level anywhere in Victoria with the timber industry having closed. Thirdly, regardless of the above, there is no mention of retailers being excluded in the original announcement or media release.

I also have a trucking company, Pelz Haulage, that had a large part of its business servicing the mills ‍– no compensation for them either. The correspondence to the Knights says businesses that offered specialised services to sawmills like Pelz Haulage would be covered. Which one is it? You cannot have it both ways. All this time bureaucrats are coming up with ridiculous criteria and excuses to not support these businesses. We have timber transition money going to, and I quote a recent media release:

… upskill community members to help identify future economic opportunities –

and –

… initiatives identified by local Innovation Working Groups through the Local Development Strategies.

I mean, spare me. This is wasted money. It should be going to those businesses that were impacted, as the minister said that she would do in 2023.