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Even after the Prime Minister scuppered a deal this week to pass Nature Positive legislation with the crossbench, Labor MPs are still claiming that the prospect of a Federal EPA could still be delivered early next year before the Federal election. Source: Timberbiz There is now chaos, confusion and undermining between Anthony Albanese, Madeleine King and the Western Australian Government on one hand, and Tanya Plibersek and fellow left faction Labor MPs on the other. Labor is divided and rudderless, as the Prime Minister desperately tries to please everyone while simultaneously pleasing no one. Shadow Environment Minister Jonno Duniam wants the Government to come clean on its intentions: “Will the Government confirm that it will put its Nature Positive Bills before the Senate, as they stand, next year as Senator Katy Gallagher claimed yesterday? If so, why wasn’t this done this week when they had apparently struck a deal with the crossbench?” The Nature Positive (Environment Law Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024 included amendments to close the loophole that exempts native forest logging from the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The new laws will apply to the native forest industry but will not ban native logging altogether. The Nature Positive legislation included other measures that aim to protect the environment, such as: Establishing a statutory definition of “nature positive” Establishing the Environment Protection Australia (EPA) as an independent statutory agency Introducing stronger compliance and enforcement measures Creating new environment protection orders that allow the Minister to stop work or restrict activities that pose a significant environmental risk Establishing a nature repair scheme Expanding the “water trigger” to all forms of unconventional gas development. “The Government are walking both sides of the street. They don’t want to say their EPA is dead, but the Prime Minister killed off a deal on it for the second time- at the request of the Western Australian Labor Party,” Minister Duniam said in a statement. “Clearly, if their EPA is established, it will mean that resource rich states and territories like Western Australia that already have their own EPA will have to deal with another heavy layer of environmental bureaucracy. “Before anything else in the environmental policy space, the Government should abide by their commitment to reform the EPBC Act – as Minister Plibersek promised to do way back, before the end of 2023. “Labor’s proposed Federal EPA is simply a bureaucracy on top of broken environmental laws that will only increase confusion and red tape, making it harder to get a government approval for a project while not guaranteeing any improved environmental outcomes. “The ongoing rancour and feuding between Anthony Albanese and Tanya Plibersek is incredibly damaging for the Labor Party but, even worse, is preventing any good outcomes for Australia.”  

After 47 years we are thrilled that Australasian Timber Magazine (formally Timberman) is transitioning to a fully digital magazine format. Australasian Timber Magazine will continue to expand its unique industry segment’s coverage and promotion of timber manufacturing, technology, design, construction and products as consumers and governments increasingly recognise timber’s carbon saving advantages, Australasian Timber Magazine This change comes with several exciting benefits for our readers and advertisers alike. The decision to move from a print magazine to a digital format has been driven by demand from Australasian Timber Magazine readers and advertisers, evolving media consumption trends and the advantages digital platforms offer. Audiences are increasingly seeking content that is accessible anytime, anywhere, on devices they already use. A digital magazine meets these needs by offering greater convenience and flexibility, allowing readers to access articles on various devices. It also allows readers to click on links contained in stories and in advertisements. Furthermore, digital platforms provide valuable data analytics, offering insights into reader preferences, engagement patterns, and content performance allowing for more targeted content creation and personalized marketing strategies. In our first fully digital edition of Australasian Timber Magazine we feature the announcement of the 2024 Timber Design Awards, with the overall prize going to the outstanding Embassy of Australia in Washington D.C. Designed by Bates Smart Architects, the project involved a delicate balance between cultural representation, iconic civic presence and practical security considerations. The inspiration came from Australia’s iconic landscape and embodies the essence of the vast continent. We also look in details at Phillip Island’s prestigious new multi-dimensional cultural centre in Cowes which won the Excellence in Timber Design (Sustainability) award. We also report on the launch of an updated timber framing campaign with new assets and expanded digital push, and report on a world-first engineered wood product made exclusively from locally grown bluegum (Eucalyptus Globulus) timber manufactured in Warrnambool which will provide a pathway to address Australia’s growing structural timber market demand. The Green Triangle Forest Industries Hub and Forest and Wood Products Australia, working in partnership with WTIBeam (formerly known as Warrnambool Timber Industries), have unveiled the first of its kind GL18 timber product which can be utilised in everything from flooring to roof framing in both residential and commercial construction. And we look at reports of imported timber products that could potentially mislead consumers into thinking they’re from sustainable Australian sources, along with recent revelations that up to a quarter of products failed Federal Government inspection. It’s a situation which has Australian Timber Importers Federation concerned, with members facing one of the toughest battles to comply with some of the world’s strictest legislation aimed at combating the trade in illegally logged timber. And we profile Neville Smith Forest Products, a trailblazer in Tasmania’s forestry sector, renowned for its commitment to sustainability, innovation, and responsible sourcing. Neville Smith Forest Products is a leader in the timber industry, with a heritage spanning over 100 years. NSFP is known for producing high-quality hardwood products, all sourced from sustainably harvested regrowth and plantation forests. To read our first digital issue for free go to https://www.timberbiz.com.au/atm/current/And you can get Australasian Timber Magazine delivered directly into your inbox by subscribing for free at https://winetitles.us12.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=ac41575cbca450f7966070392&id=c05a617678