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Firewood supply puts heat on VicForestsState Parliament has been told the demand for firewood in Victoria is not being met and the future for firewood contractors is in jeopardy because VicForests’ timber supply arrangement is unworkable. By Kevin Balshaw - 7th August 2008 - Back to News State Parliament has been told the demand for firewood in Victoria is not being met and the future for firewood contractors is in jeopardy because VicForests’ timber supply arrangement is unworkable.
The Member for Eastern Victoria, Philip Davis, has asked Treasurer John Lenders to introduce a new firewood supply system to provide certainty and adequacy of supply for contractors and firewood customers.
Mr Lenders has indicated he will look into the supply arrangement and files on discussions between the Government and the Firewood Association of Australia and provide a response in writing.
Mr Davis said the State was experiencing a dire shortage of firewood and prices were soaring because the system for allocating timber supplies to firewood contractors had failed.
It would remain unworkable, he said, as long as responsibility for firewood supplies continued to be divided between VicForests and the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
"The core problems are that VicForests’ supplies are four times the price charged by the department, and the department allows contractors to get wood directly from forest coupes while VicForests refuses access to coupes under its control and delivers the wood to pick-up depots in unsatisfactory quality and lengths," he said.
"Information available to the contractors indicates VicForests will sell only 300 tonnes of timber for firewood this year when firewood use in Victoria stands at 1.2 million tonnes.
"Only four of the 320 firewood merchants in the State will share this year’s allocation from VicForests. The rest will be forced to negotiate supplies with private landowners or go out of business."
Mr Davis said the Government had been given a completely wrong impression of the nature of discussions on the supply problems between the Firewood Association, VicForests and the department.
As a result the Treasurer commented in an email to Newry contractors, Jeff and Kirsty Coster, that it had been agreed VicForests would continue to be responsible for the sale of firewood in Victoria.
But Mr Davis said that statement did not hold up against the very clear impression of the association’s Alan McGreevy, who had advised the Costers that at no time had the ongoing operation of VicForests been discussed.
"When we have a supply system that does not work and a situation in which the minister is being misled that it is working to everyone’s satisfaction, there is an obvious need for Mr Lenders to ascertain the real position and act on it."
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: kevin.balshaw@parliament.vic.gov.au
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