NSW Labor's ill thought out and ignorant policy to create a new stretch of National Park on the NSW North Coast shows it has no regard for regional communities and no idea what keeps them surviving in a tough economic climate.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The announcement by the Opposition Leader this week threatens the future of the North Coast timber industry, which plays a significant economic role in the region and in the billion dollar a year NSW timber industry.
The area proposed to be converted to National Park is the main source of the sought after Blackbutt timber that underpins the North Coast timber industry.
Labor's proposal would remove a staggering 100,000 cubic metres - or 44 per cent - of high quality sawlogs from the industry. More than 3000 North Coast forestry jobs would be lost as a result.
When the former NSW Labor Government converted several hundred thousand hectares of State Forests to National Parks in the Pilliga and the red gum areas of the Riverina, they decimated the local timber industries. The industry adjustment packages cost taxpayers more than $100 million and the two regions lost even more in economic value and jobs.
NSW State Forests produce certified sustainable timber and strike the right balance between meeting the community's demand for timber and maintaining thriving, healthy forests.
The NSW Nationals have witnessed what Labor has inflicted on the timber industry over 16 years in NSW. We will not allow the timber industry and regional communities to go backwards again.
Forests and timber are a vital part of the North Coast. The timber industry has long been a large and important local employer.
The NSW Nationals value our natural environment and are committed to protecting koala habitat, which is why our forests have some of the toughest protocols anywhere in the world.
We don't accept the premise that the only way to protect koalas is through National Parks.
Katrina Hodgkinson MP
Minister for Primary Industries
