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

This evening, I rise in support of the 308 pulp and paper manufacturing workers who've been brutally stood down without pay at the Maryvale mill in Victoria's Latrobe Valley. The workers were locked out by Opal Australian Paper—owned by a very large multinational, Nippon—after just seven workers undertook protected stop-work action, as was their right under our industrial relations system.

Following this single, limited action, over 300 employees and their union, the CFMEU Manufacturing Division, were given just one hour's notice that they would be locked out of work, denying employment and pay to all the production workers. Hundreds of other workers and contractors adjacent to the mill have also been stood down.

This adversarial move by Opal comes after years of cooperation from the workers, the union members, to financially secure the mill during very difficult times. This included the employees agreeing to reclassification and wage resets, as well as a five per cent pay cut back in 2016. In return for their cooperation, Opal has shamefully offered its workers a choice between a real cut to wages and workplace conditions or an indefinite lockout from work and income. I can tell you that a lot of them are relying on that income to support their families.

The Maryvale mill is one of Latrobe Valley's largest employers, manufacturing brown paper and cardboard for the packaging industry—something that we all take for granted. These products are critical to ecommerce and helped to keep us connected during the pandemic. The mill has been an integral part of the community since 1937, and the supply chain has empowered the community and the local economy for so long. In fact, there are multiple generations of families that have been working there. These men and women who have families to support now have no job security and no income. I hope the company is watching. These 308 workers deserve much better than this unjustifiable lockout, and I call on Opal to return its employees to work and to engage with them and the union in good faith, for the sake of their families and the local community. I stand in solidarity with the pulp and paper division, the Maryvale mill workers and every Australian that is fighting for secure work, for secure jobs and for better pay.

While I'm on my feet, I also want to address a number of challenges that are faced by our forestry industry. Australia's forestry industry is world-class. It employs around 80,000 people directly and supports another 100,000 indirectly across the supply chain, particularly in regional Australia. Our country's forestry industry contributes around $24 billion to our economy every year. Much of this imported timber also comes from countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, whose environmental laws fall significantly short of our own standards. Unlike Victoria's sustainable hardwood industry, which has harvested just four in every 10,000 trees in the state's native forests, trees in both Malaysia and Indonesia are cut down with scarce regard for forest ecosystems. But, prior to regulation by the Australian government, 10 per cent of this imported timber was logged illegally. Illegal logging undercuts our world-leading sustainable timber and has devastating environmental consequences. The Albanese government is very proud to be introducing legislation to combat illegal logging, and next month, when they come into effect, our new laws will actually target the illegal timber trade, increasing our reputation as a nation committed to sustainable forestry. Sadly, our efforts risk being undercut by a tax on our forest industries by some of our state governments and large businesses—something I will have more to say about in this place in due course.