Australasia's home for timber news and information

CFMEU condemns Vic government for ‘heartless stupid decision’

Michael O’Connor CFMEU

The powerful construction and forestry union has joined in the condemnation of the launched a stinging attack on the Victorian State Government over the decision to end logging in Victoria’s native forests. The CFMEU says the government has made a “heartless stupid decision” to end the harvesting of native hardwood timber from 2030. Source: Timberbiz

The CFMEU’s National Secretary Michael O’Connor has said the decision to end logging in native forests broke agreements between the union and the Victorian ALP.

The union leader’s outburst will not be a surprise in Labor circles where it was well known the CFMEU was unhappy in the lead-up to the announcement.

Mr O’Connor said the logging decision had broken faith not only with blue-collar workers but with regional communities.

“This is not the way to respond to an industry facing challenges,” Mr O’Connor said.

“It is a stupid, heartless decision that is out of character for a government that had built a reputation of supporting blue-collar jobs and regional communities.

“This debacle also flies in the face of the understanding that our union has had with the Andrews Government since prior to its election in 2014.”

He said the announcement by Mr Andrews and his Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes was an “embarrassing, motley, half-baked, rag-tagged, mishmash of talking points”.