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Calls for Agriculture Minister to meet with East Gippsland timber industryGippsland Nationals MPs have called on the Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford to immediately meet with timber industry representatives in East Gippsland. This is to discuss concerns regarding the future of the industry. Read the full article. By Portal Admin - 2nd September 2016 - Back to News Gippsland Nationals MPs have called on the Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford to immediately meet with timber industry representatives in East Gippsland to discuss concerns regarding the future of the industry.
Speaking in parliament this week Member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath asked the minister to meet with timber industry contractors to listen to their concerns "which are numerous and multifaceted".
Nationals Member for Gippsland East, Tim Bull has also written to the minister twice this year advocating on behalf of the timber contractors and supporting their right to harvest as per their VicForests contracts.
"The sustainable hardwood timber industry in East Gippsland provides significant investment, employment and economic benefit to rural communities and beyond through the production of sawlogs and the manufacturing of value-added products for the domestic market," Ms Bath told the parliament.
"Some of the issues frustrating these small business operators include the delays in the release of the Forest Industry Taskforce report and the need to amend guidelines in terms of third-party surveys on designated coupes.
"Too often contractors are being precluded from their coupes due to third-party intervention. This has wider ramifications for the overall health of the small communities in East Gippsland.
"I know that because of the delay in the task force report saw-millers in Nowa Nowa are hurting whilst languishing and waiting for a response. At present there is an inability to invest in the future in terms of industry, in terms of structure, in terms of equipment and in terms of community because of this lack of certainty."
The East Gippsland region is home to some of the most productive timber harvesting in Victoria. These forests have played a crucial role in Victoria's sustainable timber industry however in recent years the amount of high-quality timber logging from this region has declined.
"The whole idea of a sustainable hardwood timber industry is that there needs to be a long-term coexistence between native flora and fauna and harvesting to maximise the utilisation of this renewable and very important resource. I ask the minister to come to listen to their multilayered issues and have some good further debate and further conversation around this to stop the negative impact on rural East Gippsland."
Media Contact: Renee Switzer 5174 7066 Member for Eastern Victoria Region Melina Bath
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: support@gippsland.com
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