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The Federal Government’s failure to implement actions under the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy is undermining the push to improve national productivity, contributing to higher costs for businesses and consumer goods and weakening the economy. Source: Timberbiz Shadow Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development, Senator Bridget McKenzie said Australians have endured three wasted years in infrastructure under the Albanese Government which has cancelled, cut and delayed more than $30 billion worth of infrastructure projects. “It is now a year since the release of the five yearly review of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy but Labor has failed to act on the findings,” Senator McKenzie said. “The Federal Treasurer talks a big game on productivity but its actions, not words, that are needed.” “At a time when Labor’s industrial relations and other policies are undermining national productivity and adding costs and red tape to businesses, boosting productivity means fixing the freight task so we can get products where they need to go quicker and more cost effectively.” “Fixing the freight task means the safe and efficient movement of fresh food to supermarket shelves, medicines to hospitals, fuel to service stations and manufactured products to our ports for export. Senator McKenzie said the Strategy was established through a partnership between the Commonwealth and all states and territories following deep consultation and engagement with all sectors of the freight and logistics supply chains, to support industry address the ever growing freight task. “Industries came together over 2023 and 2024 to inform the five yearly review of the strategy but after all their hard work, the Albanese Government has failed to act, leaving industry in the dark and missing its own deadlines to respond by December last year,” Senator McKenzie said. “This is another example of the Albanese Government being too distracted with the wrong priorities instead of focusing on the core tasks of government like strengthen the economy by cutting congestion and blockages in freight supply chains.” “It is humbling to be reappointed to the Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development portfolio to continue my work of the past three years, pushing for improved policies to build the infrastructure Australian communities need, deliver safe, efficient and productive transport networks, and strengthen our regions,” Senator McKenzie said. “The Albanese Government has irresponsibly held back on building infrastructure to cut congestion at a time when Labor has let more than a million extra people into the country while young Australian families cannot find a home they can afford to buy or rent. “Families and small businesses are paying more for worse service in the aviation sector under Labor, with the Government overseeing reduced competition, the collapse of two regional airlines, higher airfares, and one in three flights cancelled and delayed under their watch. Senator McKenzie said Labor has stripped job creating community infrastructure funding from our regional communities despite the fact our regions are set to bear the brunt of Labor’s failed energy policies with higher power costs, wind turbines off our coastlines, 28,000 kilometres of powerlines carving through farms and parks, and solar panels carpeting land better used to produce food. “The Nationals are fighters for the regions and in a strong Coalition with the Liberal Party we will continue to hold Anthony Albanese and the Labor Party to account for their failures,” Senator McKenzie said.

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A new Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) released for MASSLAM — a laminated timber product made using Tasmanian plantation hardwood by Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH) with fibre from Western Junction Sawmill (WJS) — confirms its potential as a low-carbon structural alternative for multi-res and commercial construction projects. Source: Timberbiz The findings arrive at a time when the role of embodied carbon in construction is under increasing scrutiny. The Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), in its recent report Our Homes Weigh a Tonne, found that upfront emissions are now seven times more impactful than operational emissions over a building’s lifespan. While the report focuses primarily on Class 1a dwellings, it highlights a broader trend that applies equally and arguably more urgently to more intensive building typologies – Class 2 (multi-residential) and Class 5 (commercial) buildings. Upfront emissions from materials like concrete, brick and steel are now the dominant contributors to a building’s total lifecycle carbon. As the electricity grid becomes greener, early-stage material choices are becoming the dominant factor in determining a building’s whole-of-life carbon footprint. The newly released EPD for MASSLAM, independently verified under EN 15804 and ISO 14025, demonstrates a net carbon benefit of -748 kg CO₂e for every cubic metre used (A1–A3 stages, including biogenic carbon). This performance doesn’t just come from using renewable raw materials. It reflects a deliberate and integrated manufacturing approach: Biogenic carbon (carbon stored in trees during growth) account for -1,090 kg CO₂e per cubic metre in hardwood. Sustainable forestry practices ensure more wood fibre is grown than harvested. Vertical integration – ASH and supply partners WJS control from log to finished product. This gives complete visibility and control over sourcing, processing, energy use, and waste. Zero timber waste – all wood fibre received is used. Offcuts and sawdust from machining are repurposed notably, sawdust fuels thermal energy for timber drying kilns, accounting for around 80% of total on-site energy consumption. This significantly reduces reliance on fossil fuels or grid electricity. On-site renewable power – several NMIs (National Metering Identifiers) are in place across sites. The largest of these runs on 100% solar energy, further reducing operational emissions. This carbon performance compares favourably with conventional structural materials such as concrete and steel, which typically incur substantial embodied emissions during production and early-stage transport. In practical terms, this means a MASSLAM superstructure delivers a carbon benefit from day one. Traditional materials can require decades of operational savings to offset their initial impact. For projects targeting genuine decarbonisation, MASSLAM provides a substantial head start. MASSLAM is manufactured using plantation-grown hardwood from Tasmania — fibre originally intended for pulp production but diverted to long-lived structural applications. The MASSLAM plant is capable of delivering the superstructure for the equivalent of 2,000 homes per annum using modern methods of construction (MMC). The recently released Circularity Gap Report 2025 from thinkstep-anz confirms that despite increased awareness, Australia’s material circularity performance is declining. We’re consuming more and looping less — meaning immediate reductions in material carbon have become more critical than speculative recycling potential. Mass timber superstructures like MASSLAM don’t rely on a future circular practice to deliver impact. They reduce emissions today, while remaining renewable, bio-based, and recyclable at end of life. “For project teams — especially those working on government or institutional buildings — this supports a growing shift toward bio-based, renewable materials that offer immediate and measurable reductions in emissions. Unlike many recycled or circular materials that rely on theoretical future reuse, which is yet to be realised, mass timber solutions like MASSLAM offer clear carbon savings at the point of construction,” WJS and ASH Director and Business Development Manager, Daniel Wright, said. “In light of these findings some sustainability consultants are reconsidering the allocation of carbon reduction budgets. Instead of prioritising on-site renewable energy for buildings already capable of drawing energy from an increasingly renewable grid, there is an argument for reallocating investment toward a low-carbon structure, particularly where mass timber can displace high-emissions materials”. Mr Wright hopes this will result in a shift towards a more innovative building approach, explaining, “a large rooftop solar system for example, might reduce future emissions marginally over time. In contrast, replacing a concrete and steel frame with timber can cut several hundred tonnes of CO₂ upfront, based on current life cycle assessment (LCA) data. “Mass timber structures can also be delivered 20-30% faster and cheaper, but lack of experience from cost assessors and head contractors comes with added contingency. The potential savings from eliminating rooftop systems might help motivate decision makers to learn a new way of construction”. As the building sector works toward ambitious emissions targets, verified data like this helps designers, builders, and policymakers make informed, high-impact decisions.

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Private Forests Tasmania was front and centre at one of the state’s largest gatherings of red meat producers last week. PFT sponsored a Primary Session at the 2025 Red Meat Updates conference at the Tailrace Centre, Riverside, with the theme: “The influence of change on cost of production in red meat businesses.” Source: Timberbiz The session was chaired by PFT CEO Dr Elizabeth Pietrzykowski and featured a thought-provoking discussion facilitated by Felicity Richards and included insights from farmers James Knight (Sisters Pastoral), Georgie Burbury (Burbury Ag), and Midlands farmer and PFT Stems for CO₂ project grant recipient Dougal Morrison. Mr Morrison, a fifth-generation farmer from St Peters Pass, shared his family’s experience integrating forestry into their farming enterprise — a decision driven by careful analysis and long-term thinking. Following the harvest of a former Gunns eucalyptus nitens plantation, the family assessed their options: convert the land to pasture or replant with trees. They decided to establish Pinus radiata plantations, recognising the species’ suitability to Tasmania’s Midlands climate and soil conditions. “The land wasn’t ideal for pasture,” Mr Morrison said. “We weighed up the economics and decided replanting and claiming carbon credits made more sense — especially with support from two Private Forests Tasmania grants [a round 2 Integrated Farm Forestry grant and the Stems for CO₂ grant].” The new plantings will support both carbon sequestration and future timber production — and more importantly, Mr Morrison said, contribute to a succession-ready farm for the next generation at St Peters Pass. With 405 hectares of plantation and 30–40% of the property retained as native forest, the family applies a “right tree, right place” approach, using marginal land that’s not viable for grazing or cropping. Mr Morrison was candid about the learning curve. “I’m not a forester,” he said. “I’d strongly encourage anyone looking to plant or manage trees to get professional advice — on everything from species selection and planting to carbon and long-term management. PFT is a great place to start if you want pre-commercial guidance.” He also pointed to research showing the broader benefits of integrating trees into farming systems — from improving lamb survivability and pasture growth to enhancing water retention and providing shade and shelter for livestock. But his message was clear: “Don’t rush in. Understand your goals and work with a forestry consultant to plan properly”. For Mr Morrison and his family, trees on underperforming land aren’t just an environmental investment — they’re a strategic, economic decision that aligns with long-term, whole-farm planning.

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Victoria’s State Government is refusing to act on lack of firewood supply in rural and regional Victoria, including East Gippsland, according to Gippsland East Nationals MP, Tim Bull. And he says it is a problem that is very simple to fix. Source: Timberbiz Mr Bull, who wrote to Environment Minister, Steve Dimopoulos yet again on this matter, said the lack of understanding of the problem was extremely frustrating. “The one thing we should never run out of in this area is firewood, but it is the Government’s policies and overall lack of understanding of the situation has determined this outcome. “To make matters worse, the Mr Dimopoulos’ response states ‘firewood is a limited resource with unpredictable availability and demand can exceed supply’. “What rubbish. We have record fuel loads in the bush, debris everywhere, but government policy denies it being collected and used,” said Mr Bull. “The winding up of the timber industry significantly impacted supply as residual timber provided a lot of product to the market, and the government also removed the firewood timber coupes from contractors. “Combine this with the fact it has not extended public firewood collection periods (which it has the power to do) and we have a perfect storm.” Mr Bull said that some contractors were now bringing in firewood from interstate to meet demand, which “is just craziness in a place like East Gippsland”. “The Minister’s response also states, ‘the Victorian Government recognises supply availability is placing additional stress on people who rely on firewood’ – yet he won’t make the simple policy changes to address the matter.” Mr Bull said there were three simple, practical steps the government could take now to address the issue. “Announce an extension to the firewood collection periods, open up more collection areas to the public and return firewood coupes back to contractors who hold a commercial firewood licence,” he said. “Rather than trot out waffle that it is a limited resource (when it is most certainly not) and admit it is placing stress on people – just change the policies to fix the problem. “This of course is the same Minister we told free camping would not work time and again, which he pushed back before finally backflipping and making the changes we asked for. He needs to do the same here.”

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