Joe Ludwig (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

We seem to have got to the nub of the issue. The federal government and the states that have signed up to regional forestry agreements are all strong supporters of regional forestry agreements. They are the primary mechanism to ensure that we continue to have a sustainable management which provides that balance for issues which go not only to the environment, including the biodiodiversity, but also those economic issues and the social issues that surround them. There is a five-yearly review of each of those agreements in place. So Victoria has five separate RFAs in process, and they are reviewed. We received, in September, the five-yearly review in respect of the RFA.

I disagree with the import of your question. This government and the Victorian government and the other states and territories highly value regional forestry agreements as a means of ensuring we strike the appropriate balance.