Anne Ruston (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Tonight I stand to inform the house of two very positive things that are happening in the areas of which I have responsibility. One is in forestry and one is in fisheries. Today is International Day of Forests, or more commonly referred to around the world as forestry day.

Today is a day when I think that we can celebrate with great sincerity the role that the Australian forestry industry plays in our lives and the role that trees play it our lives. Certainly, if you were looking for a product that was one of the most multiskilled resources on the planet, you would have to say that trees are it. This is a renewable, recyclable and sustainable resource, and it is also carbon positive, for much carbon is sequestered in our trees.

The really great thing about our forestry sector is the fact that it is very much a sunrise industry. The future of forestry is certainly going to be based around the bioeconomy. The old image of forestry with lumberjacks wandering around in their tank tops and axes is certainly an image of the past. We are now talking about a tremendously sophisticated, technologically advanced industry. You have only got to look at some of the amazing things that come from wood, which many of us probably do not even realise do so, to see it. There are things like carbon fibre, solvents made out of wood and cross-laminated timber. We have seen buildings completely constructed of timber, and, I have to say, after having had the pleasure of being in a couple of these buildings, they are amazing buildings to be in. For those of us who believe in things like feng shui, we can certainly understand why buildings made of wood are great things for the social amenity of the future. I would highly recommend anyone who has not been into a building made entirely of wood to do so. Then you will decide that I am actually not crazy.

We are very, very proud of our industry in Australia. We are proud of it because it has over the years evolved into an industry for which we can stand up proudly on the world stage and say, 'It is a state-of-the-art industry, it is sustainable and it is world's best practice.' But the very important thing about our forestry sector is the massive contribution it makes to our rural and regional sectors around Australia. It is a massive employer in many, many rural and regional areas. Today the topic of the 2017 International Day of Forestry is forests and energy. Mr Acting Deputy President Gallacher, the irony of that will not be lost on you, coming from South Australia, when we are having this massive debate in relation to our energy security into the future and the fact that forestry provides one of the most abundant renewable resources for energy that you can imagine—that is, from wood waste.

There is also another irony, as we proudly stand here and celebrate our forestry sector in Australia, and that is the irony that this morning we saw a number of members of the CFMEU and our truck drivers from Victoria boycotting the steps of the state parliament in Victoria in protest against the actions which are seeing the threat to ASH—Australian Sustainable Hardwoods—mill in Heywood, and consequently, the massive impact on the community. I think that really draws to attention the theme of the forests and energy.

It is really interesting when you read what the UN has got to say about forestry and about this particular celebration. According to the UN, wood provides the world with more energy than solar, hydroelectric or wind power. I think that is a very salient fact. It accounts for roughly 45 per cent of current global renewable energy supply. Modernising the wood energy sector can help revitalise rural communities. Trees contribute to optimal urban living and lower energy bills. Sustainably managed forests can provide renewable and carbon-neutral energy for a greener future. Greater investment in technology and innovation and in sustainably managed forests is key to increasing the forest's role as a major source of renewable energy. They are the messages of today, International Day of Forests. I think they are some very, very strong and powerful messages for Australia there. One of those messages is that the Turnbull government recognises this expanding opportunity to utilise wood energy, and we support our Australian forestry industry. The introduction of wood waste into the renewable energy target is but one way we have recognised the importance of that.

The future of Australia's forestry sector needs to be reaffirmed and reassured so that we can get some certainty and so that we can get investment back into this industry, because it is nature's way of telling us that it is the greatest renewable resource there is. We need to stop being scared of cutting down a tree because, contrary to what some would have you believe, if you cut a tree down, it will actually grow again. You can plant more trees. If we come up with a sensible and sustainable rotation of our trees, then we can maintain a strong, prosperous and very valuable forestry sector for Australia. My message today, on International Day of Forests, is that instead of demonising our forestry industry and the forestry sector we should be celebrating our forestry industries. I call on everybody in this place, and I call on everybody who might be listening to this, to celebrate our forestry industries not just today, but into the future.

The second area I have pleasure in speaking about tonight is in relation to another one of my portfolio areas, which is fisheries. Today we saw the announcement of Seafood Industry Australia, which is the new peak body for the commercial fishing sector in Australia. Today they announced the appointment of their inaugural board. This is a fantastic announcement, because, as I have often said in this place, speaking with one voice makes things much easier. When governments are making decisions about major policy areas, it makes it easier for them if they are actually able to speak to one body. This $2.8 billion industry is very important for Australia, so I am delighted at the announcement of the new board. I am very much looking forward to working with them over the coming years. It is also with great pride that we can say this also fulfils one of our election commitments. We said that we would support the formation of this body, and we provided the initial seed funding, which has meant this has been able to occur.

It is also great to see that the board that has been chosen is representative of a very wide range of skills and a wide range of areas within the commercial fishing sector, including: wild catch, the aquaculture and post-harvest sectors, and retailers and exporters. This board has sought to cover off on the entire supply chain for our commercial fishing sector within Australia. Speaking with one voice means industry has a much greater impact, and that is exactly what Seafood Industry Australia is going to be able to do.

It has also already demonstrated wide support across the whole of the industry sector, with more than 100 organisations having made pledges of financial support. I commend and thank those organisations for their foresight, for seeing fit to jump on board this organisation at its fledgling stage. That support will only serve to give all power to the hand of this new organisation. I also want to put on the record my sincere thanks for the extraordinary efforts of Veronica Papacosta, who was the driving force behind the establishment of this particular industry association. I also want to acknowledge the huge amount of work done by the National Seafood Industry Alliance. They backed this proposal right the way in and stand ready to support it into the future.

There are a huge amount of people who have supported this initiative—way too many for me to mention tonight—and it is an absolute credit to the commercial seafood sector that they have been able to achieve this particular goal. They are about to choose a chairman from those who have been selected to go on the board, and it will be up to them to build close relationships with the other stakeholders—most particularly, from the Commonwealth perspective, working with the Commonwealth Fisheries Association as well as with state fisheries and industry bodies that reside in each of the states.

There was a huge amount of interest shown by people putting their hands up for the board, and the seven board members that were chosen, as I said, have a great range of different skills and experiences. I look forward to working with them on an array of different issues in both our state and our Commonwealth fisheries interests, working with them on issues such as: the finalisation of the zoning for Commonwealth marine parks; working on resource-sharing and biosecurity issues across all of our waters; dealing with the very major issue of aquatic animal health—once again, the biosecurity plays into that; talking to them and getting input in relation to country-of-origin labelling, not just at a supermarket level but also at a food service level; and, most importantly, generating pride in the Australian community so that the sustainable management of our Commonwealth fisheries and all of our fisheries is something that every Australian can be proud of into the future.