1 November 2007

Greens support plantation based timber industry

The Greens want a timber industry based on well managed plantations with maximum value added locally.

The Bombala softwood mill fits this plan perfectly and we support it.

Just to be clear though: we do not support native forest woodchipping, but that is a very far cry from a plantation based industry manufacturing sawn timber.

A plantation based industry is greenhouse friendly, especially when produces long lasting sawn timber.

A native forest based industry is a huge greenhouse polluter, even more so when it makes paper that degrades within a few years.

I am the first to admit that in the past The Greens haven’t had a big fan club in Bombala, but I suspect many of the reasons for this no longer apply. Times are changing.

I am asking voters to look at our policies afresh.  Not only do we support job creation from a local mill, we are also asking Governments to stop subsidizing the native forest sector. There will always be some issues around the way plantations are managed and we know there are plenty of people around Bombala who agree with us about that.

But we firmly believe that below market prices for native forest pulpwood are holding back the softwood sector.

A recent financial analysis of Forests NSW shows that plantation softwood is subsidisng woodchipping.

This is bad for jobs, bad for the Bombala district and bad for the environment.

Recent difficulties with wood supply to the IFP Mill in Hume show that the federal Government, and especially Mr Nairn have failed to understand the importance of the mill to the town.

Mr Nairn undermined the State government’s efforts to set the mill development back on track and he should be held to account for that.