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Remove Uncertainty For Timber Industry: HallEastern Victoria MP Peter Hall has again called for the State Government to immediately cancel plans to tender out Victorian timber industry harvest and haulage contracts. By Peter Hall - 21st September 2007 - Back to News Mr Hall raised the matter in Parliament again this week, and said the present system put in place by VicForests was a major disincentive to investment and therefore jobs, because operators had no certainty.
Mr Hall also accused the State Government of putting into practice what the Federal Labor party is criticising - sacking workers and readvertising their jobs through a tender process.
"That is what this Victorian government is responsible for in respect of these operations," Mr Hall said.
"People in this industry need the certainty that was promised to them … (but) the more they hear, the more forest contractors are concerned," Mr Hall told Parliament.
"VicForests has announced that it will put to tender all functions associated with the harvest and haulage of timber from public land in Victoria. Plans to do this are already well advanced, with a tender process being developed.
"Information workshops have been held and literature has been distributed to those in the harvest and haulage sector," he added.
Mr Hall said the new tendering process puts at risk the jobs of hundreds of Victorian timber workers and investments of many millions of dollars.
"In the last couple of weeks, 14 East Gippsland contractors have written to me expressing their concerns. One of them says that in the last few years they have invested $2.7 million in new equipment. They employ nine people, and those nine people directly support 30 all up.
"A contractor wrote to me, having invested $380 000 recently in a new truck and trailer. Another company from East Gippsland has invested $780,000, and another company has invested $1.5 million in new equipment.
"Now, with the new uncertainty about their jobs, all of that investment is put at risk."
Mr Hall said there was no need for what he described as "radical changes."
"Under the present system, if a contractor is not performing, that contract can be terminated, so there is no need to contract out all of the harvest and haulage work."
Mr Hall said: "In many ways the Victorian government, through VicForests, is doing exactly what federal Labor is so critical of the federal coalition government of doing -- that is, sacking workers and readvertising their jobs through a tender process."
Mr Hall said the Minister for Agriculture should immediately cancel all plans to tender out harvest and haulage contracts and roll over the existing contracts.
"People in this industry need the certainty that was promised to them post Our Forests Our Future; however, it seems that the phrase adopted by many -- that is, 'Our Forests No Future' -- is more appropriate, given this government's failure to provide any such certainty."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com
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