Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Minister for the Environment and Water, Senator Wong. Minister, native forest logging is destroying critical habitat and pushing our endangered animals to the brink. Land clearing is destroying the homes of our iconic koala. An area of forest the size of the MCG is logged and bulldozed every two minutes. Wildlife like the koala, the swift parrot, the greater glider and the northern quoll are hurtling towards extinction due to the destruction of their native habitat. Every time more forest is logged, more native wildlife die. Will the government's new environment laws put a stop to the destruction of koala habitat?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Hanson-Young, for that question. I will give you an answer now as far as I am able, and then in relation to the last point, which is I think a point about koala habitat, I've just asked for some further information on that. Obviously, I understand it's the position of the Greens political party to ban native forest logging under federal law. The government's position is that Australia still needs timber products, and therefore we would want to see a sustainable end to the forestry industry. The government is investing over $300 million to modernise timber manufacturing infrastructure, to build the skills of the workforce and to grow more plantations, which already account for around 90 per cent of the national timber production.

But the senator is right; native forests are valuable for many reasons—obviously, carbon storage being one. They're native habitats, including for endangered animals like koalas, Leadbeater's possums and greater gliders. And there are economic benefits from protecting native forests. The minister is clear that she is committed to reforming environmental laws. These laws do not work for the environment, and they don't work for business. As part of the Nature Positive Plan, native forest logging will be regulated by national environmental laws through national environmental standards.

In relation to threatened species, the senator would also note that the minister has announced a target of zero new extinctions, the investment of over $500 million to better protect threatened plants and animals and protecting an extra 40 million hectares of Australia's ocean and bush.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, a first supplementary?

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

How will the government's commitment to zero new extinctions be met if you continue to destroy the homes of these animals?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I said, the government's view is that Australia still needs timber products and wants sustainable forestry jobs. That is why we have a very substantial investment in modernising the timber manufacturing infrastructure, building the skills of the forestry workforce and growing more plantations, which already account for around 90 per cent of national timber production. That's a substantial increase over the last few years. This is a substantial investment. I appreciate the Greens political party wants a banning of native logging in Australia. As I previously said in this place, I've travelled a reasonable amount, particularly in the countries of South-East Asia, and I've never understood why it is progressive policy to believe that we should source timber from countries which don't have the same level of environmental regulation.

Sue Lines (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Hanson-Young, second supplementary?

Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I think the drug dealers defence is hardly worth commenting on in this argument. How much more native forest must be logged and how many more koalas must die before enough is enough?

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You called it a drug dealer's defence. Some of us have actually spent a lot of time in South-East Asia and in the forests of South-East Asia and are aware of the—when we, in this country, don't use any timber other than plantation timber then there's a discussion to be had. The reality is we still use timber products. What we need to do is make sure we have a sustainable industry and we continue to increase plantations, which have increased substantially over the last 20 years, as you know, both in acreage but also in the proportion of the industry. But I will push back on the assertion about drug dealers. It is a reasonable proposition to say we live in a global economy and we ought to be trying to ensure the environmental protections occur everywhere— (Time expired)