the conference focused on the continued growth and health of the sector.
Keynote speaker Joel Fitzgibbon, former politician and now CEO of the Australian Forest Products Association, gave the first major speech of the day, coming out swinging against anti-forestry activists. Fitzgibbon said, “I think at times we've tried to counter the campaigns of activists by not talking too much about the parts of our industry where we struggle most for a social licence. I believe that strategy is flawed. We are one industry and we need to speak and fight as one industry.”
He urged engagement directly between the industry and the general public, saying that we were already good with politicians, but much weaker with the average punter, who could believe activist arguments about forestry being the major source of deforestation or there being enough plantations to meet Australia’s timber needs.
“We have all the facts on our side,” said Fitzgibbon. “But … in the modern political environment our elected representatives need to make the right decisions for the right reasons… And the only way to do that is to pitch straight to our communities, because all politicians are creatures of the electorates they come from.”
Accepting that we lack the deep pockets of many activist groups, he urged AFCA members to use all the available resources to tell their own stories and share the truths about the industry.
Senator Murray Watt, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, had sent in a pre-recorded address. He noted that “in 2021-22, the forest and wood products industry was worth $26.6 billion and forest contractors are at the heart of the forest and wood products supply chain. Putting on my Minister for Emergency Management hat, I also recognise the integral role that forest contractors play in fire management.”
He flagged the $300 million-plus suite of forest industries initiatives being made by the Albanese government, including more than $73 million in funding to establish new plantation forests to increase domestic timber supply, a $10 million forestry workforce training program to support the delivery of credentials, qualifications or competencies and funds to modernise and make more efficient timber mills and other processing facilities.
AFCA’s Tim Lester then took a moment from hosting to give the Association’s address, acknowledging this as a difficult time for the industry. But, as he pointed out, it’s in difficult times that support matters most.
Lester thanked the Minister for his address and said the investment showed the power of timber’s industry associations, “Because the result that was achieved in the last election for this industry was extraordinary. And it wasn't a result that was replicated across broader rural industries or agriculture in general.”
Industry closures in Victoria and WA and activist actions in NSW and Tasmania were discussed, and the fact that the driving arguments behind them were often based on emotions, not facts. He urged members to stay engaged with the process, both because that was the only way to change minds, but also because industry associations (particularly AFCA) have demonstrably improved outcomes around access or compensation, even when, as in Victoria, they haven’t been able to win the battle.
Lester finished by reminding everyone that the opposition to forestry isn’t deep in the community, citing the case in Clarence River, Northern NSW where the council recently proposed an end to native forestry, only to be met by a broad community backlash.
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Source: Timber & Forestry News
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