Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to Senator Birmingham representing the Minister for the Environment. In the face of a worsening climate crisis, protecting our forests, the lungs of our planet, is essential to avoid climate and environmental catastrophe. They have tremendous cultural value for our First Australians. They store carbon and produce fresh water for farms and for drinking. The world has watched the Amazon being logged and burned this year at unprecedented rates, but here in Australia, in our own backyard, we continue to log and burn our forests. We are the only nation in the developed world to be marked as a global deforestation hotspot, and this logging and burning is signed off by this government through last century's regional forest agreements. Will the Morrison government commit to protecting our native forests, or will you condemn future generations to a catastrophic climate future?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Rice for her question. Our government stands by our approach in terms of the modernisation of regional forest agreements, regional forest agreements which provide for an approach to forest management through greater transparency, through outcomes based reporting, and through long-term sustainability of a renewable resource in terms of our forestry sector. RFAs protect threatened species through establishing and subsequently growing a conservation and reserve system and requiring states to implement sustainable forest-management practices outside of the reserve system. RFAs provide certainty to the forest industry and support the thousands of jobs associated with that industry. Our government knows that we need to create and continue to provide certainty in those sectors to make sure that those jobs are secure and sustainable, as we want and expect those resources to be as well.

Since RFAs were first signed 20 years ago, conservation reserves in RFA areas have doubled from over five million hectares to more than 10 million hectares in that time. This means that 50 per cent of native forests found within RFA areas are now protected with the comprehensive and adequate representative reserve system. Of the remaining native forest in RFA areas, less than 0.5 per cent of that is harvested annually. States, of course, are responsible for the day-to-day forestry operations in line with state forest management frameworks under RFAs. Indeed, RFA responsibility—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Rice, on a point of order.

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On relevance: my question specifically went to forests and climate, and the impact of logging our forests on climate, and the minister has not mentioned climate once.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Rice, with respect, it would be hard for the minister to talk about forests and not be relevant to the very lengthy preamble to that question. I've been listening carefully—Senator Whish-Wilson, I'm ruling on the point of order made by the person sitting next to you. If senators' questions have lengthy preambles of that nature, then it is much easier for a minister to be wide-ranging and directly relevant. With respect, Senator Rice, that was a long preamble and the minister is being directly relevant.

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just very briefly then, if Senator Rice wishes, in relation to climate: I would highlight to her my answer given yesterday which points out what matters in relation to climate is what we do to meet our targets overall; not picking out sector by sector, but— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Rice, a supplementary question?

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In contrast to Senator Birmingham's response, the government will be aware that in my home state of Victoria the state government has recently come to its senses and acknowledged that native forest logging is unsustainable and uneconomic and doesn't have the support of the community. Thousands of people are today rallying at the Victorian state parliament in support of protecting our forests. Will the Morrison government also admit that native forest logging belongs in the last century, like sealing and whaling?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Dan Andrews government in Victoria would probably—given their leanings—quite like to hear Senator Rice's description that they've come to their senses. Those on this side find there are very few occasions where we think the Andrews government ever has any sense whatsoever. Mr President, if I may, I suggest that you may concur with that. The Australian government was not consulted about the Victorian government's decision to end native-forest harvesting in state government. I do note that forestry matters are handled by my good friend and colleague Senator Duniam on a routine basis, and that his department will continue to work with the Victorian government to determine what that means for the Victorian regional forestry agreements, and the process for extending those RFAs, moving forward.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order, Senator Birmingham. Senator Rice, a final supplementary question?

Janet Rice (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today marks half a century of exporting woodchip from the native forests in south-eastern New South Wales, through Eden—50 years of devastating impacts on those forests. The global market for native forest woodchip exports is at rock bottom, yet we continue to log native forests instead of meeting demand through sustainably grown plantation timber. What is this government doing to complete the transition to a 100 per cent plantation based timber product industry?

Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What's important in this space is operating to the sustainability practices that deliver sustainability for the forest themselves, sustainability of employment outcomes for those who rely on the forestry industry and sustainability of the resource for the long term. These are the practices that we deploy and operate to through the regional forestry agreements, working in concert and conjunction with the states and territories. When it comes to managing climate impacts, we are working to that according to the detailed plan that I outlined to the Senate yesterday in terms of achieving our abatement, our emissions reduction, targets that we've committed to against the very prescriptive policy measures that we took to the last election. We're delivering on those and making sure that we have an integrated approach, not one that simply says we must wipe out one industry over here to meet an objective over there but one that respects the fact that we want to continue to have— (Time expired)