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The announcement of the decision to create a full-size Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast of NSW is a missed opportunity to maintain a sustainable timber industry and a stable koala population, according to the Australian Forest Contractors Association. Instead, the AFCA says, one is being decimated while the other is built on little more than hope. Source: Timberbiz After a 14-month assessment process which included seeking input from industry and a further 9 months of delays, the government has settled on the one option with the weakest evidence and the most problems, CEO of the Australian Forest Contractors Association Tim Lester said. For the forest contracting crews the decision means they are being sacked on Father’s Day and with no notice. “The Government spoke to affected sawmills but not forest services businesses which means these employers have had any notice on what tell their staff about coming to work tomorrow,” Mr Lester said. “A temporary moratorium assumes a future return to work. Let’s call it what it is – an immediate closure. In Victoria we experienced the chaos caused by a government that did not give businesses and communities the time they need to adjust. This is spin for a political announcement. “We engaged in the assessment and consultation process in good faith on the basis of the government’s twin election commitments of a koala park and a sustainable timber industry. But the government has accepted ideology over evidence and hope over science. “National parks have a terrible record when it comes to protecting populations of threatened species because hope is not a strategy. We are at risk of repeating the same mistakes. “The greatest irony is that the NSW National Parks’ own research shows the claim that koalas are under threat in this area is wrong. The population of koalas in NSW state forests is high and stable thanks to an active and sustainable forest management regime that has been in place for more than a century. The idea that a sustainable timber industry and rich biodiversity are incompatible is pure ideology and not backed by the scientific evidence or history. “Koalas will not be ok in a forest managed through benign neglect as we have seen in the Pilliga. The tourism sector is already bustling, and the known visitation, travel and spending patterns do not support small communities, as we have seen in southern NSW. The massively increased cost of managing a national park will not improve the NSW Budget bottom line, as we have seen in Victoria. “The government is also relying on damaging the integrity of Australia’s national carbon scheme with a carbon methodology that is scientifically contested and does not meet scheme rules. This shows it is a park at all costs and everything else has been hollow and flawed. “Meanwhile it is the businesses, workers and communities who will suffer. “It is now up to the government to implement a fair and equitable package for industry that provides compensation for the businesses, workers and communities who are having their lives and livelihoods turned upside down by a flawed decision based on a flawed premise.”

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Six timber mills on the NSW mid-north coast will close today, around 300 jobs will be lost and 40% of the state’s future hardwood supply could be locked up for good following the announcement at the weekend of the proposed boundary for the Great Koala National Park. Source: Timberbiz The park will reserve 176,000 hectares of state forest and connect with existing national parks to create a 476,000-hectare reserve – one of the largest in NSW. The government says this park will protect more than 12,000 koalas, 36,000 Greater Gliders and habitat for over 100 other threatened species. “Koalas are at risk of extinction in the wild in NSW – that’s unthinkable. The Great Koala National Park is about turning that around,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said. “We’ve listened carefully and we’re making sure workers, businesses and communities are supported every step of the way.” Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the Great Koala National Park had been a dream for more than a decade. “It will ensure koalas survive into the future so our grandchildren will still be able to see them in the wild. “These amazing old-growth forests are among the world’s top biodiversity hotspots – home to more than 100 threatened species including greater gliders, the powerful owl and yellow-bellied gliders,” she said. The Government has imposed a temporary moratorium effective today, Monday 8 September, on timber harvesting within the proposed park boundary. Department of Primary Industries officials reportedly began calling affected timber mill owners on Friday ahead of today’s moratorium. The immediate temporary moratorium will impact six out of more than 25 timber mills in the region, and approximately 300 jobs. Response has been swift with industry leaders and the unions condemning the decision. Australian Forest Contractors Association Tim Lester said that for the forest contracting crews the decision means they are being sacked on Father’s Day and with no notice. He said the government has settled on the one option with the weakest evidence and the most problems. Forestry Australia president Dr Michelle Freeman said the Great Koala National Park made a headline, not a science-led plan. “Recent research highlights that koala populations in NSW state forests remain high and stable, thanks to thoughtful regulated management,” she said. And the Australian Workers’ Union and the Timber, Furnishing & Textiles Union said the decision would devastate regional communities, cost hundreds of jobs and risk thousands more across the state’s $3 billion hardwood timber industry. The NSW government says it recognises there will be challenges as the transition begins and is committed to working with local communities every step of the way. Assistance includes JobKeeper-style payments to support workers by covering salaries, and also financial assistance towards business operating costs. As well as financial payments to cover salaries, workers and their families will have immediate free access to mental health, financial and legal counselling services and training support. The NSW Government has committed $6 million to support new opportunities for tourism and small businesses on the Mid North Coast, with the package to be developed in consultation with local communities to grow jobs and investment as the Great Koala National Park is established. An additional $60 million in funding is being announced for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to support the establishment of the park. This is in addition to the $80 million announced in 2023. The final creation of the park is dependent on the successful registration of a carbon project under the Improved Native Forest Management Method, which is currently moving through the Federal Government assessment processes. But NSW Australian Forest Products Association chief executive James Jooste said that after two years of consultation the industry was hoping Environment Minister Penny Sharpe would take into account their concerns when announcing the size of the park. “North East NSW is the most valuable region for hardwood production in the state, and a 176,000ha park will cut supply from public forest in half overnight,” he said. The Government says the Great Koala National Park will not end forestry on the North Coast with the Independent Forestry Panel continuing to provide advice to the Government to inform the Forestry Industry Action Plan. NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders told the Daily Telegraph aid the timing of the decision was appalling and would see the livelihoods of entire regional towns “obliterated” overnight. “For thousands of Dads across the North Coast region to be waking up on Father’s Day to the news they no longer have a job is gut wrenching,” he said. “This decision is almost unbelievable but sadly true to form for a government that has shown a complete disregard for this important industry and what it contributes to our state. “Labor’s Great Koala National Park will wipe out 40% of the state’s future hardwood supply and will force the price of construction materials through the roof.”

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