16 August 2023
Shadow Environment, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Jonno Duniam fears that the native forestry industry will be sacrificed on the altar of extreme left politics at this weekend’s Federal Labor Conference in Brisbane.
During the May 2022 election, then Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese wrote to forestry workers in Tasmania to assure the industry of Labor’s support.
This supposed commitment didn’t stop the Western Australian Labor Government from shutting down their native forestry industry, nor the Victorian Labor Government from fast tracking their decision to close the industry from 2030 to 2024.
Senator Duniam said:
“The forestry industry, with all the regional jobs and communities that rely on it, has been devastated by Labor Governments countrywide. Families are left with no job and no income.”
“Federal Labor has presided over the shutdown of mill after mill and lock up of coop after coop since they came into Government. They have done nothing to prevent this decline. Amid the closure of Australia’s last white paper mill in Gippsland and Dan Andrews’ disastrous decision to fast track Victoria’s native forestry by six years, Federal Labor have stood idly by.”
“Now we see three hundred Labor branches and Labor Environment Action Network (LEAN) teaming up at the left faction-dominated national ALP conference to pressure the Prime Minister and Federal Labor to end native forest logging.”
“Anthony Albanese backed forestry at the last election. Now he needs stand up to his woke Labor members to protect our sustainable timber industry.”
“Where are we going to get our coffee tables, staircases, floorboards and reams of paper from if this industry dies? Places like the Congo Basin, where they don’t share our industry’s world-leading commitment to sustainability.”
“There is one test this weekend for Federal Labor, and regional Australians will be watching.”