Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—Today I rise to make a short statement on the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources' report Aussie logs for Aussie jobs: Inquiry into timber supply chain constraints in the Australian plantation sector.

It is with great pleasure that I speak about this report, as the deputy chair of the standing committee. The report concerns the nature of wood supply from Australia's plantation sector, including the projected timber volumes available over the next 30 years and the grades of logs available. The report also concerns the current and future demand for logs in domestic use, the competitiveness of log pricing and the opportunities that exist to increase Australia's wood supply. This includes the role that governments, federal and state—and territory, of course—have in assisting with and addressing problems faced by the industry.

May I take this opportunity to thank the many individuals, local businesses and stakeholders who took the time to make a submission to the inquiry. It was very helpful to read and hear the firsthand experience of Australians working in the plantation forestry industry, especially their insights into what is working well and what government can do to help assist development and to increase opportunity.

The report hands down 10 bipartisan recommendations for how Australia's wood supply from the plantation sector can be secured and grown. In particular, the report identifies ways in which government can take measures to assist. The report recommends the adoption of a voluntary code of conduct which can both facilitate access to timber by Australian softwood processors and underpin and strengthen the relationship between plantation owners and timber processors. This would ensure that cohesion between stakeholders in the timber industry can be had and that the growth of the industry can continue to occur.

Committee members agreed that plantation forestry works best according to free-market principles but we are alive to the fact that processors have encountered difficulty in sourcing timber, even when prepared to offer comparable prices to offshore buyers. There was broad agreement amongst committee members that if local processors are prepared to offer comparable or higher prices then the principle of Aussie logs for Aussie jobs should take precedence and that a firm signal should be issued to growers about this principle. Ideally, of course, we would like to be in the position where plantation supply is sufficient to meet the needs of both local processors and a growing export market. The report also recommends that the Productivity Commission undertake a review of the regulatory settings relating to the establishment of plantations in Australia. In doing so, incentives and barriers for plantation farmers could be identified. This will give government the best possible way of identifying the issues in the sector and how government can better support the timber industry.

I do note that prior to the May 2019 election, the government promised a program to plant one billion trees over 10 years. Nearly two years later we are barely scratching the surface of that promise and look nowhere near close to achieving even one-quarter of the goal unless drastic measures are taken. In short, the government needs to do less announcing and more planting. I do urge Minister Duniam to put on his wellies, grab some seedlings and get to work.

Forestry has a long and proud history in Tasmania in particular. The recommendations in this report, if implemented by government, will help sustain industry viability for the future. Plantation forestry is an industry we should be proud of. It provides jobs and livelihoods for regional communities and a material that is natural and recyclable. Timber isn't just good for house frames and paper pulp, it can replace concrete in multistorey projects and the millions of tonnes of fossil fuel based plastics that bedevil our planet. Just imagine a world where everything that is plastic is replaced with a cellulose based and biodegradable natural fibre. That's the promise of plantations—where our cities can take shape from timber and composites. The future is better with forestry in it. It is with great pleasure that I commend the report and its recommendations to the House. Like the chair, I thank all members of the committee for the collegial way in which we undertook this inquiry. I especially thank the hard work of the secretariat, led by Jenny Adams. I commend the report to the House.

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