Boral will moth-ball its Batemans Bay timber mill operation on the New South Wales far south coast in response to a 30-year low in new housing construction and the need to reduce costs. Source: ABC News
The decision has thrown 15 people out of a job as Boral said the historic mill would close immediately.
Boral Timber’s executive general manager, Stephen Dadd, said a low in new housing construction and poor demand meant timber was being stockpiled.
He said production at the Batemans Bay mill is no longer sustainable. However Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) organiser, Dusty Miller, said Boral has a history of buying up smaller mills and consolidating them into “super mills”.
He welcomed Boral’s offer to consider some retrenched workers for jobs on other sites and said the union had negotiated an above-award redundancy package.
CentreLink and industry representative were at the site this week to advise retrenched workers and an information session was held last night.
