Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am looking forward very much to attending on Saturday a family fun day at the Norske Skog Boyer Mill to celebrate its 75th anniversary. The Norske Skog mill, as it is known today, has been a part of the community in the Derwent Valley since 1941, when construction was completed and paper production began. The story of the mill began in 1915, when the Tasmanian government at the time commissioned a report to examine the potential for a paper-making industry based upon the state's vast stands of eucalypt. Indeed, that was undertaken and then the decision for the mill was made between 1939 and 1941. Deputy Speaker, you could appreciate the challenges that would have occurred at that time in our history. Production was not finally really ramped up until the 1950s, when after the Second World War there was a consolidation of the site and a decision to expand production. The business has gone on from strength to strength. Between 1967 and 1992 the mill capacity expanded to near 200,000 tonnes per annum with the commissioning of the No. 3 machine in 1968. The 1970s brought more world firsts. There was a move out of eucalypts towards radiata plantation softwood, and that continues today.

The last 25 years and indeed the last 10 years have been a story of innovation. They have decommissioned one of those paper lines due to a reduction in demand globally and increased competition, of course, from other parts of the world. But they have innovated in the sense that they are Australia's only manufacturer of lightweight coated paper. The $80 million investment that was made by Boyer and the engineering done internally are an absolute tribute to everybody concerned, not least of all the general manager, Rod Bender.

I will be very pleased to join with the community and the many generations of residents of the Derwent Valley who have worked at the Boyer mill at New Norfolk. It will be a time for celebration. It will be a time for renewal, and, indeed, it will be about the future, because I think the future is bright with the capacity that they have with their management, the great working relationship they have with their unions and the commission, and the capacity of the people involved.

Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If no member present objects, three-minute constituency statements may continue for a total of 60 minutes.