❓ Hon Giz Watson questions the discrepancy in employment figures related to the forestry industry between the Forest Products Commission and the Department of Commerce. The Minister clarifies the difference and provides data sources for the FPC's figures and native forest employment.
AnsweredQoN 770Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
FORESTRY — EMPLOYMENT FIGURES
1. 770. Hon GIZ WATSON to
the minister representing the Minister for Forestry:
I refer to the statement on page 2 of the Forest Products
Commission's ''Annual Report 2011–12'' —
The forest industries continue to
make a contribution to Western Australia's regional economy with an
estimated contribution of $1.06 billion per year and direct employment of
approximately 3,400 people in timber related industries.
I refer also to the per sector employment figures of the WA
economy published by the Department of Commerce, which collects employment
figures at a website address that I will not read out. It states that for both
native forests and plantations 1 740 people are employed in forestry and
logging.
(1) What is the reason for the discrepancy in these two
government employment figures?
(2) What evidence did the FPC base its estimated employment
figure on?
(3) How many people are directly employed in native forest
industries?
1. 770. Hon GIZ WATSON to
the minister representing the Minister for Forestry:
I refer to the statement on page 2 of the Forest Products
Commission's ''Annual Report 2011–12'' —
The forest industries continue to
make a contribution to Western Australia's regional economy with an
estimated contribution of $1.06 billion per year and direct employment of
approximately 3,400 people in timber related industries.
I refer also to the per sector employment figures of the WA
economy published by the Department of Commerce, which collects employment
figures at a website address that I will not read out. It states that for both
native forests and plantations 1 740 people are employed in forestry and
logging.
(1) What is the reason for the discrepancy in these two
government employment figures?
(2) What evidence did the FPC base its estimated employment
figure on?
(3) How many people are directly employed in native forest
industries?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the
question.
(1) The
figures quoted in the Forest Products Commission's ''Annual
Report 2011–12'' include jobs generated in all areas of the
Western Australian timber industry including primary processing. The number
quoted in the Department of Commerce's report refers to those people
directly involved in the growing and harvesting of trees and does not include
nurseries or primary processing.
(2) The Forest
Products Commission figures are based on the following data: Dare, M and
Schirmer, J 2012; Western Australia Forest Industry Survey unpublished data;
and CRC for Forestry, Hobart.
(3) The report
by URS Australia entitled ''Social and Economic Impact Assessment on the
Potential Impacts of Implementation of the Draft Forest Management Plan 2014–2023'' estimates that 1 045
people are currently employed in the native forest industries of Western
Australia. This includes both primary and secondary processing. The authors
note that the figure quoted of 152 for secondary manufacturing is likely to be
an underestimation.
question.
(1) The
figures quoted in the Forest Products Commission's ''Annual
Report 2011–12'' include jobs generated in all areas of the
Western Australian timber industry including primary processing. The number
quoted in the Department of Commerce's report refers to those people
directly involved in the growing and harvesting of trees and does not include
nurseries or primary processing.
(2) The Forest
Products Commission figures are based on the following data: Dare, M and
Schirmer, J 2012; Western Australia Forest Industry Survey unpublished data;
and CRC for Forestry, Hobart.
(3) The report
by URS Australia entitled ''Social and Economic Impact Assessment on the
Potential Impacts of Implementation of the Draft Forest Management Plan 2014–2023'' estimates that 1 045
people are currently employed in the native forest industries of Western
Australia. This includes both primary and secondary processing. The authors
note that the figure quoted of 152 for secondary manufacturing is likely to be
an underestimation.
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