Glenn Lazarus (Queensland, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I move amendment (1) on sheet 7726:

(1) Schedule 1, Division 1, page 13 (line 2) to page 14 (line 29), omit the Division, substitute:

Division 1—Amendments

Renewable Energy (Electricity) Act 2000

47 Subsection 5(1)

  Insert:

  biomass means organic matter other than fossilised biomass.

Note: Examples of fossilised biomass include coal and lignite.

  wood waste has the meaning given by section 5A.

48 After section 5

  Insert:

5A Wood waste

(1) For the purposes of this Act, wood waste means:

  (a) biomass:

     (i) produced from non-native environmental weed species; and

     (ii) harvested for the control or eradication of the species, from a harvesting operation that is approved under relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory planning and approval processes; and

(b) a manufactured wood by-product from a manufacturing process; and

  (c) waste products from the construction of buildings or furniture, including timber off-cuts and timber from demolished buildings; and

(d) sawmill residue; and

  (e) biomass from a native forest that meets all the requirements in subsection (2).

(2) Biomass from a native forest must be:

  (a) harvested primarily for a purpose other than biomass for energy production; and

  (b) harvested from a forest that has been certified, or becomes certified before 30 June 2016, by the Forest Stewardship Council to a forest management standard; and

(c) either:

     (i) a by-product or waste product of a harvesting operation, approved under relevant Commonwealth, State or Territory planning and approval processes, for which a high-value process is the primary purpose of the harvesting; or

     (ii) a by-product (including thinnings and coppicing) of a harvesting operation that is carried out in accordance with ecologically sustainable forest management principles; and

(d) either:

     (i) if it is from an area where a regional forest agreement is in force—produced in accordance with any ecologically sustainable forest management principles required by the agreement; or

     (ii) if it is from an area where no regional forest agreement is in force—produced from harvesting that is carried out in accordance with ecologically sustainable forest management principles that the Minister is satisfied are consistent with those required by a regional forest agreement.

(3) For subparagraph (2)(c)(i), the primary purpose of a harvesting operation is taken to be a high-value process only if the total financial value of the products of the high-value process is higher than the financial value of other products of the harvesting operation.

(4) In this section:

  ecologically sustainable forest management principles means the following principles that meet the requirements of ecologically sustainable development for forests:

  (a) maintenance of the ecological processes within forests, including the formation of soil, energy flows, and the carbon, nutrient and water cycles;

  (b) maintenance of the biological diversity of forests;

(c) optimisation of the benefits to the community from all uses of forests within ecological constraints.

  high -value process means the production of sawlogs, veneer, poles, piles, girders, wood for carpentry or craft uses, or oil products.

  native forest means a local indigenous plant community:

  (a) the dominant species of which are trees; and

  (b) containing throughout its growth the complement of native species and habitats normally associated with that forest type or having the potential to develop those characteristics; and

(c) including a forest with those characteristics that has been regenerated with human assistance following disturbance; and

  (d) excluding a plantation of native species or previously logged native forest that has been regenerated with non-endemic native species.

Renewable Energy (Electricity) Regulations 2001

49 Subregulation 3(1) (definition of native forest )

  Repeal the definition.

50 Regulation 8

  Repeal the regulation.

I touched on this amendment earlier, but I will go over what it involves. The amendment incorporates the requirements that any biomass from a native forest must come from a forest that has been certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. This amendment states that a forest must have FSC accreditation or become certified by 30 June 2016.

I am taking the stance that we do not want to see trees cut for energy production; however, if there is leftover wood which has come from wood which was used for other primary purposes—namely, manufacturing furniture—then this leftover wood should be eligible. The FSC is recognised by the Australian government as an international standard for the sustainable and responsible management of forests. This is a compromise position to take into account the needs of the industry. We are not preventing the sawmill industry from using the offcuts for energy production. It also puts in place protection mechanisms to ensure we take care of our precious forests and do not encourage the cutting down of trees for the primary purpose of burning them for credits.

Very briefly, the government does not support this amendment. Legislating the need for certification specifically by the Forest Stewardship Council would require those forests currently accredited to other schemes to be additionally accredited to the Forest Stewardship Council at significant cost to forest owners. The Australian government supports all internationally creditable timber-certification schemes. There are two international creditable certifications currently operating in Australia: the Australian Forest Certification Scheme and the Forest Stewardship Council scheme.