❓ A parliamentary question addresses concerns about sawlog supply to sawmillers after the native forest logging ban, the survival of sawmillers, alternative uses for timber, potential exports, and allegations of sawlogs being used for firewood. The Minister's response defends the government's transition plan and denies the firewood allegation.
AnsweredQoN 1663Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Forest Products Commission (FPC), and I ask: (a) ss the Minister aware that the FPC has indicated it will not supply sawlogs to customers with contracts who have received transition payments; (b) how many sawmillers are likely to survive without timber supplies until the Forest Management Plan (FMP) makes wood available; (c) what does the Government plan to do with the sawlog timber if there are no sawmillers left to use it; (d) ff the scenario in (c), occurs, will the Government allow sawlogs to be exported; and (e) why is the FPC placing sawlogs in firewood stockpiles rather than supplying them to sawmillers with contracts?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
7 November 2023
Responded by
Minister for Forestry
Response time
7 days
(a-e) Following the historic decision to end native forest logging, the Cook Labor government committed to an $80 million native forest transition plan, negotiated with industry, community and workers that included industry restructure payments of more than $22 million to 24 individual businesses, including sawmills. The Forest Products Commission has always focused and will continue to focus deliveries from the available resource based on its contractual obligations.
The next Forest Management Plan (FMP) will move from practices that are based on commercial timber production to ecological thinning based on forest health outcomes.
To suggest that sawlogs are being used for firewood is offensive to the many staff and contractors involved in forestry and is simply untrue.
The next Forest Management Plan (FMP) will move from practices that are based on commercial timber production to ecological thinning based on forest health outcomes.
To suggest that sawlogs are being used for firewood is offensive to the many staff and contractors involved in forestry and is simply untrue.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.