David Pocock (ACT, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Rice for the opportunity to speak on the Ending Native Forest Logging Bill 2023, and I will be supporting this bill. Here we have another example of a disappointing stance from the major parties, a unity ticket that means that the young people up in the gallery and around Australia will be facing worsening climate impacts and will potentially not be able to enjoy the incredible biodiversity that all of us have enjoyed and have been able to experience here in Australia. Last year at the COP 15 biodiversity summit there was global consensus about the need to conserve nature, to take the necessary steps to safeguard nature and indeed our future. And we have a government that has committed to no new extinctions.

The first and most obvious thing to do is to stop destroying important habitat for threatened species. Continuing to log native forest no longer makes sense. I really want to call out the major parties for the way they talk about logging; they include native forest logging and plantation timber. There is a thriving plantation timber industry in Australia. It is much needed. It is something that does need support. Native forest logging—its time has come. It is time to transition those communities out of native forest logging. It doesn't make environmental sense. It doesn't make sense for our climate. And it's bad for our economy. Without ending native forest logging, the government will struggle to reach its own climate goals and will likely fail on its commitment to no new extinctions.

Senator Duniam talked about having better logging standards overseas but didn't mention the fact that Victorian logging operations haven't been able to get Forest Stewardship Council certification because of their unsustainable practices. Our magnificent forests are now far more valuable as carbon storage than as woodchips and paper pulp. The climate impact of ending native forest logging in Victoria at the end of this year would be the equivalent of taking 700,000 cars off the road. Ending native logging forest in Tasmania would be the equivalent of taking 1.1 million cars off the road every year. And let's remember that 90 per cent of the wood from native forest logging goes to woodchips, paper pulp and box liners. Less than 10 per cent of it goes to sawn timber and building products. It is an absolute furphy that this is what we are building our houses with. Our native forests are ending up as low-value, high-volume commodities.

After the 2019 bushfires we should all be concerned about the impact climate change is having and the increased risk of catastrophic fires. And the science is now clear that logged forests burn more easily than old-growth forests. We should be pushing for an end to native forest logging rather than continuing with this and risking what we saw in 2019. Senator Duniam seemed to dispute this, but this is peer reviewed science published in some of the world's best scientific journals. Dr Chris Taylor from the ANU's Fenner School of Environment and Society notes that the general trend across the scientific literature is that forests begin to be more flammable eight years after logging. To quote:

The relationship between the forest having been logged and how severely it burns during a fire is quite clear.

Professor David Lindenmayer AO from the Climate Change Institute stated that the link between fire severity and logging has been found in global studies of places such as the US and Patagonia and now locally here in Australia.

There is also a huge cost when it comes to biodiversity to continue native forest logging, driving some of our most incredible, unique species to extinction—like greater gliders, yellow-bellied gliders, swift parrots, Leadbeater's possums, Carnaby's black cockatoos and a host of other species.

To turn to the economic argument, the forestry industry in New South Wales and Tasmania is losing money. In Tasmania, total losses are above $1.5 billion since regional forest agreements were signed 20 years ago. We have heard much debate, including from Senator Duniam, about the need for more investment in things like social and affordable housing in Tasmania rather than building a stadium. Here is $1.5 billion that could have actually gone to those things. It could have gone into these communities that need to be looked after. The Blueprint Institute found that, if we end native forest logging on the north coast of New South Wales, there would be an economic windfall of $294 million between now and 2040. This is just in northern New South Wales. The economic argument does not add up. It doesn't hold water. We as a country have the opportunity to stop losing money by cutting down our precious native forests, and we have the opportunity to then benefit from the economic, climate and biodiversity windfall of protecting them.

Moving to employment, we absolutely need to work closely with communities impacted by the transition to ensure that they are able to build and transition to industries of the future—industries that can sustain their communities for generations to come. There are huge opportunities that exist in transitioning the valuable skills held by the native forest logging industry to sustainable forest management and tourism. There will increasingly be the need for those same skills to be used in firefighting. Turn on the TV and see what is happening in Canada. We're going to need specialist logging teams help our firefighters come the next bushfire season and the one after that.

It is time for the government to step up, to show some leadership and to help states make the transition now so we can actually look after these communities, rather than just kicking it down the road and getting to the point where we have cut down those remaining native forests and things like tourism and carbon aren't the opportunities that they are right now.

In New South Wales, it's irresponsible to continue to wait to end native forest logging. Just in north-east New South Wales, if we end forest logging now instead of waiting for the north-east forestry regional agreement to expire, we could deliver a net benefit valued at $45 million. That is $45 million that could be invested in those communities to set them up for beyond the end of the RFA. Let's remember that 90 per cent of all sawn timber in New South Wales already comes from plantations. That's the opportunity. That's where the value is. That is what we should be focusing on. In south-east New South Wales, Frontier Economics analysis shows that the plantation industry is worth 160 times the native forest sector and employs far more people. We know that in New South Wales a lot more endangered species are in proposed logging areas. There is high conservation value in places that are planned for logging. We have heard talk about the Great Koala National Park. We know that areas around there are earmarked for logging. I would urge the government to work with the New South Wales government to show the leadership required to speed up this transition and protect those areas.

In Tasmania, it is quite incredible that there are proposals to actually log proposed World Heritage areas. This would be bad for the climate and terrible for the environment and our native species and would detract from the amazing opportunities that tourism provides Tasmania and will continue to provide Tasmania as more people look to get out into nature and enjoy this incredible continent. As a country, we are now cutting down our remaining native forests at a loss. We're cutting them down at a financial loss and we are losing biodiversity. And the more we cut down, the more difficult it will be to transition communities in the impacted regions to use the forest for carbon storage and tourism.

I urge the government to show leadership. Australians love our native wildlife. They want a government that is taking climate change seriously. You have commitments around climate action and biodiversity conservation. Here is an opportunity to address both those things.