Minister Omodei responds to a question regarding the difference between the coalition's and the opposition's timber policies, highlighting the potential negative economic impacts of the Labor Party's proposed changes to old-growth forest logging.

AnsweredQoN 311Legislative Assembly
Asked
14 November 2000
Member
Portfolio
Forest Products

QuestionView source ↗

There has been much confusion and uncertainty concerning the State’s timber industry. Will the minister outline to Parliament the difference between the coalition's timber policy and that of the Opposition. Mr OMODEI

AnswerView source ↗

I thank the member for some notice of this question. I suppose it depends on which Labor Party policy the member refers to. Is it the member for Maylands’ policy, which is a review? Is it the Kevin Reynolds policy to keep to the contracts until the end of 2003? Is it Geoff Gallop's policy to immediately stop the logging of old-growth forests? It is incumbent on the Labor Party to let the people of the south west and those involved in the timber industry in Western Australia know exactly what is its policy. Is it the policy of Kevin Reynolds to keep to the contracts? Is it the policy of the Leader of the Opposition? The Labor Party’s web site indicates that its objective is to immediately stop logging in old-growth forests should the Labor Party unfortunately win the election sometime in the new year - let us say by 1 March. The impact would be to reduce the amount of jarrah logged from 324 000 cubic metres to 208 000 cubic metres, a reduction of 116 000 cubic metres. Logging of karri timber would be reduced from 170 000 cubic metres to 46 000 cubic metres, a reduction of 124 000 cubic metres. Disruption would occur to the supply of logs in 2001 because there would be insufficient lead time to build roads, prepare coupes or to conduct slashing and surveying. Two thousand people immediately associated with the industry would lose their jobs. Royalties to the value of $10.9m would be lost. Immediate compensation payments to the industry would be between $66m and $72m. It would have a massive impact on south west towns. Sixty per cent of employment associated with the jarrah-based industry in the towns of Manjimup, Pemberton and Nannup would be lost. It would have an even greater impact on the karri-based industry in those districts. This is an important issue, on which the Labor Party has fudged its policy in this Parliament for the past two years. It is time the Leader of the Opposition came clean. Mr Ripper: It's time! Mr OMODEI: Will we have another Whitlam Government? The timber and forest-based industries in the south west of Western Australia are vital to those communities and they deserve to know what is the Labor Party's position.
Mr OMODEI replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. I suppose it depends on which Labor Party policy the member refers to. Is it the member for Maylands’ policy, which is a review? Is it the Kevin Reynolds policy to keep to the contracts until the end of 2003? Is it Geoff Gallop's policy to immediately stop the logging of old-growth forests? It is incumbent on the Labor Party to let the people of the south west and those involved in the timber industry in Western Australia know exactly what is its policy. Is it the policy of Kevin Reynolds to keep to the contracts? Is it the policy of the Leader of the Opposition? The Labor Party’s web site indicates that its objective is to immediately stop logging in old-growth forests should the Labor Party unfortunately win the election sometime in the new year - let us say by 1 March. The impact would be to reduce the amount of jarrah logged from 324 000 cubic metres to 208 000 cubic metres, a reduction of 116 000 cubic metres. Logging of karri timber would be reduced from 170 000 cubic metres to 46 000 cubic metres, a reduction of 124 000 cubic metres. Disruption would occur to the supply of logs in 2001 because there would be insufficient lead time to build roads, prepare coupes or to conduct slashing and surveying. Two thousand people immediately associated with the industry would lose their jobs. Royalties to the value of $10.9m would be lost. Immediate compensation payments to the industry would be between $66m and $72m. It would have a massive impact on south west towns. Sixty per cent of employment associated with the jarrah-based industry in the towns of Manjimup, Pemberton and Nannup would be lost. It would have an even greater impact on the karri-based industry in those districts. This is an important issue, on which the Labor Party has fudged its policy in this Parliament for the past two years. It is time the Leader of the Opposition came clean. Mr Ripper: It's time! Mr OMODEI: Will we have another Whitlam Government? The timber and forest-based industries in the south west of Western Australia are vital to those communities and they deserve to know what is the Labor Party's position.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. I suppose it depends on which Labor Party policy the member refers to. Is it the member for Maylands’ policy, which is a review? Is it the Kevin Reynolds policy to keep to the contracts until the end of 2003? Is it Geoff Gallop's policy to immediately stop the logging of old-growth forests? It is incumbent on the Labor Party to let the people of the south west and those involved in the timber industry in Western Australia know exactly what is its policy. Is it the policy of Kevin Reynolds to keep to the contracts? Is it the policy of the Leader of the Opposition? The Labor Party’s web site indicates that its objective is to immediately stop logging in old-growth forests should the Labor Party unfortunately win the election sometime in the new year - let us say by 1 March. The impact would be to reduce the amount of jarrah logged from 324 000 cubic metres to 208 000 cubic metres, a reduction of 116 000 cubic metres. Logging of karri timber would be reduced from 170 000 cubic metres to 46 000 cubic metres, a reduction of 124 000 cubic metres. Disruption would occur to the supply of logs in 2001 because there would be insufficient lead time to build roads, prepare coupes or to conduct slashing and surveying. Two thousand people immediately associated with the industry would lose their jobs. Royalties to the value of $10.9m would be lost. Immediate compensation payments to the industry would be between $66m and $72m. It would have a massive impact on south west towns. Sixty per cent of employment associated with the jarrah-based industry in the towns of Manjimup, Pemberton and Nannup would be lost. It would have an even greater impact on the karri-based industry in those districts. This is an important issue, on which the Labor Party has fudged its policy in this Parliament for the past two years. It is time the Leader of the Opposition came clean. Mr Ripper: It's time! Mr OMODEI: Will we have another Whitlam Government? The timber and forest-based industries in the south west of Western Australia are vital to those communities and they deserve to know what is the Labor Party's position.
The Labor Party’s web site indicates that its objective is to immediately stop logging in old-growth forests should the Labor Party unfortunately win the election sometime in the new year - let us say by 1 March. The impact would be to reduce the amount of jarrah logged from 324 000 cubic metres to 208 000 cubic metres, a reduction of 116 000 cubic metres. Logging of karri timber would be reduced from 170 000 cubic metres to 46 000 cubic metres, a reduction of 124 000 cubic metres. Disruption would occur to the supply of logs in 2001 because there would be insufficient lead time to build roads, prepare coupes or to conduct slashing and surveying. Two thousand people immediately associated with the industry would lose their jobs. Royalties to the value of $10.9m would be lost. Immediate compensation payments to the industry would be between $66m and $72m. It would have a massive impact on south west towns. Sixty per cent of employment associated with the jarrah-based industry in the towns of Manjimup, Pemberton and Nannup would be lost. It would have an even greater impact on the karri-based industry in those districts. This is an important issue, on which the Labor Party has fudged its policy in this Parliament for the past two years. It is time the Leader of the Opposition came clean. Mr Ripper: It's time! Mr OMODEI: Will we have another Whitlam Government? The timber and forest-based industries in the south west of Western Australia are vital to those communities and they deserve to know what is the Labor Party's position.
This is an important issue, on which the Labor Party has fudged its policy in this Parliament for the past two years. It is time the Leader of the Opposition came clean. Mr Ripper: It's time! Mr OMODEI: Will we have another Whitlam Government? The timber and forest-based industries in the south west of Western Australia are vital to those communities and they deserve to know what is the Labor Party's position.
Mr Ripper: It's time! Mr OMODEI: Will we have another Whitlam Government? The timber and forest-based industries in the south west of Western Australia are vital to those communities and they deserve to know what is the Labor Party's position.
Mr OMODEI: Will we have another Whitlam Government? The timber and forest-based industries in the south west of Western Australia are vital to those communities and they deserve to know what is the Labor Party's position.

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