Raff Ciccone (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

in our home state, Senator McKenzie; I know you and I have been one on this—the industry has seen an increase in the volume of imported hardwoods. That is telling. There is strong demand out there in the community for these products, and we should do everything we can to support our domestic industry in a sustainable way that also meets our strict regulations. It is unacceptable that, by shutting down our world-leading sustainable industry, we are importing products from places with less stringent environmental regulations than Australia. According to AFPA, Australia's importation of timber and timber products has increased from $4 billion to $6.87 billion over the decade to 2022-23. Illegal timber has severe impacts on our environment, and it has enormous ramifications for our domestic biosecurity protections. It creates an increased risk of pests and diseases, and this could have dire consequences for the local industry.

While it is disappointing to see the Victorian government shut down the native timber industry, it is pleasing to see that the federal government is putting money into plantations and supporting forest and timber workers. I do know that that is something that both sides of the aisle here in Canberra are very proud to do.

This week the Albanese Labor government also announced funding worth $5.6 million for eight new plantation projects through the Support Plantation Establishment program. The projects will create softwood plantations ranging from 40 to 1,671 hectares in size located in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and Tasmania. The government has also invested $10 million to deliver the Forestry Workforce Training Program through ForestWorks over the next two years. This program will improve access to required qualifications and credentials for the forest and wood products sector.

With the time that I have left: without a strong timber industry, we wouldn't be able to utilise the things that Australians love, such as house frames, cardboard boxes and paper products, just to name a few. Let's not forget that timber is the ultimate renewable and that demand for timber is only increasing.