Like and follow us on timberandforestryenews.com ISSUE 557 | May 2, 2019 Health in the forests: Download Dr Tom’s ‘ambulance the latest at the top of the cli ’ Bulletin. COVER STORY P17 FIRST FOR FORESTRY CONSULTING www.margulesgroome.com For all your Timber Preservation needs... PH: 07 3293 2651 24hrs: 0417 749 481 www.timtechchem.com LABOR The mark of safety, DELIVERS ON reliability and trust. www.ewp.asn.au ELECTION PRIORITIES SEE P15 +61 7 3250 3700 The NATIONAL voice for Timber Merchants • Suppliers • Manufacturers Contact us on 1800 TABMA1 Government set to launch Roma penalty a warning ‘shot across the bows’ industry plan in September INDUSTRY NEWS LOCAL GOVERNMENT SA regional councils call for an independent inquiry on resource Concerns raw log exports are limiting supply to manufacturers LOCAL government leaders in six regional councils based in South Australia’s southeast ‘timber belt’ have called on the federal government to initiate an independent inquiry into the forest Lynette Martin… central plantation industry. aim to maintain “The central aim of the a balanced and sustainable inquiry would be to establish marketplace that and maintain a balanced and supports both sustainable marketplace that the export and domestic timber supports both the export supply chains. and domestic timber supply chains,” the Mayor of Mount Lucindale, Robe and Wattle Industry commentators strategic media relations and Gambier Lynette Martin OAM Range. say much of the industry communications plan will be said. The councils, including has been privatised and a sounding board to identify Six district council those in western Victoria, subsequently commercialised and formalise key messages. mayors have launched a have expressed concerns which they believe has “The inquiry should targeted media campaign about the future of sourcing signi cantly altered the consider all aspects of sector’s focus. – #aussietimberjobs rst – local timber for processing the industry and the vital ahead of the federal election in the region amid growing They say the export of role it plays in the national on May 18. uncertainty of domestic both raw log and chipped economy,” Lynette Martin supply. timber have reached worrying They represent the said. levels with no value adding Limestone Coast district Historically, timber “It should speci cally opportunities for local councils of Mount Gambler, processing has been a consider opportunities processing or opportunity to Grant, Kingston, Naracoorte signi cant employer in South to amend or develop grow and expand. Australia’s southeast, offering government policy that VALUE ADDING a range of job opportunities Now, with the industry at a stimulates the provision while also supporting a critical juncture, the councils OPPORTUNITIES of a sustainable domestic robust and extensive supply and industry stakeholders supply chain that will in turn ARE BEING LOST chain and in turn, contributing have formed the view strongly to local economies. that a fully integrated and Cont P 3 MicroPro® THE CHOICE IS YOURS. Following the awarding of a Global GreenRate Level A certification, MicroPro Wood Treatment Technology has recently been awarded a GoldHEALTH rating with its recently published Global GreenTag Level A Product Health Declaration™ (PhD™). The GreenTag PhD is the first health transparency tool in the world to assess human health concerns directly, rating the health impacts of a final product – and not just the hazards of a product’s ingredients. For more information call us now on 1800 088 809. MicroPro® is a registered trademark of Koppers Inc. or its subsidiaries. MicroPro® timber products are produced by independently owned and operated wood preserving facilities. © 2019 Koppers Performance Chemicals Australia Pty Ltd. Global GreenRate, GoldHEALTH, Global GreenTag and GreenTag PhD are regsitered trademarks operated under licence by Global GreenTag Pty Ltd. 2 TIMBER & FORESTRY E-NEWS | ISSUE 557 | May 2, 2019 Malaysian Wood Expo opens gate to key markets in SE Asia INDUSTRY NEWS LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOLS Skills Verification Program Plantations… manufacturers concerned about reduced access to a valuable resource. From P 2 century the region has been most of South Australia’s one of the nation’s largest forest plantations have accelerate investment in been privatised. These local production and capture forestry producers and timber formerly government-owned a greater proportion of processors, providing secure the value chain within the employment and thriving plantations are not old growth Australian economy. local economies. forests; rather they were specically planted to sustain “The inquiry should “Unfortunately, many of Australia’s timber production also consider how the these jobs are now at risk and manufacturing industry. government’s current plan because exports of Australian to plant a billion trees to bre are limiting supply to the “Since privatisation, a ght climate change could local timber industry and the signicant proportion of this 20% be leveraged to incentivise potential for it to grow,” the bre is being exported and domestic supply and submission asserts. the local industry is nding Off encourage greater industry it difcult to access much of “In the last decade, collaboration.” this valuable resource.” The main thrust of the Recent gures show the Discount 1 BILLION TREE submission by the district timber production industry in * councils is a call for an PLAN COULD the Limestone Coast region available independent parliamentary ENCOURAGE contributes some $300 for AFCA inquiry into the Australian INDUSTRY million to GRP and sustains timber industry. COLLABORATION about 2500 jobs. Members! It says that for more than a • Tony Pasin’s view, Page 4 ✔ Evidence of employees’ current skills and training Builders back $60m apprentice subsidy ✔ Supports WHS THE $60 million expansion of “So it’s good to see the risk management the Apprentice Wage Subsidy government building on its ✔ Supports professionalism for rural and regional Australia budget commitment to fund and safety of industry announced by the Prime 80,000 new apprenticeships Minister is strongly supported in areas of skill need such as www.fols.forestworks.com.aufols.forestworks.com.au by Master Builders Australia. Denita building and construction.” 1800 177 001 Wawn… skills “The doubling in the need. Mrs Wawn said building number of participants from and construction was the *Australian Forest Contractors around 1600 to around Denita Wawn said. nation’s second largest Association (AFCA) 3200 is good news for the “Master Builders has industry and biggest provider thousands of building and been calling on all parties of full time jobs. construction businesses at this election to commit “Our thousands of that are creating economic to measures to boost the members in rural and regional growth in rural and regional skilled workforce to ll the Australia welcome measures An industry-led program communities around secure and rewarding career that help them build business managed by ForestWorks the country,” CEO of opportunities in our industry,” success and stronger local Master Builders Australia she said. economies,” she said. TIMBER & FORESTRY E-NEWS | ISSUE 557 | May 2, 2019 3 SARAH PORTER INDUSTRY NEWS ISOUTH AUSTRLIA ‘We must do a lot more to take handbrake o timber processing’ INDUSTRY and government processing sectors,” Mr must do a lot more to take Pasin said. the handbrake off the timber “Nationally, the green processing industry, Mount triangle forms an important Gambier-based Tony Pasin, part of that industrial Liberal MP for Barker, said in effort, but at a local level, an address to parliament in to communities in the Canberra. southeast of South Australia, He said in addition to the industry plays a seminal advocating for the National role in supporting economic Forest Industries Plan to activity and jobs,” he said. include measures to expand “Indeed, it's estimated that forestry estates, urgent the local timber-processing measures were needed to industry in Mount Gambier increase access by domestic Tony Pasin... local processors pressed for more export product. alone employs more than log processors to domestic 1500 people directly and the sector will be in jeopardy.” do better than this.” log supply – “in short, Aussie many more indirectly. This logs for Aussie timber mills. He remarked: “With some Mr Pasin said the equates to around 10% of Without this, not only will of the world's best forestry processing industry in the total employment of the Australian sawmills be unable plantations, we import $2 forestry regions, such as town.” those in Barker, enjoyed to expand and thereby billion more in wood products strong prospects for growth. Mr Pasin added: “The employ more Australians but than we export. We can do “But its growth is limited economic contribution that the jobs of those already in better than this. We need to by the lack of access to this industry made in the domestic log supply – not 2016-17 nancial year in that because we don't have same community was around access to that resource but $198 million in gross regional because we are exporting product, which in itself represents around 12%. APPRENTICES & TRAINEES that resource in the form of raw logs directly to overseas “Some commenters have processors”. opined that manufacturing in He said exports in the this country is dead. That's Green Triangle last year alone simply untrue. Manufacturing totalled more than 1.7 million is thriving, as burgeoning cubic tonnes, which equated Asian markets seek more and to close to 50% of exports more of our quality food and nationally. bre. “The forest industry “Australian processed contributes a whopping timber, like Australian $22.2 billion of economic manufactured foods, is activity each year to the in strong demand. Local economy and employs more processors tell me that than 64,000 Australians they are constantly elding in the forest, logging and requests for more export product. That would mean TO BE QUITE more Aussie jobs. FRANK, THIS IS “To be quite frank, this is NOT AN not an industry we can afford to ignore nationally INDUSTRY WE or locally.