The Victorian Association of Forest Industries (VAFI) and the Victorian Forest Contractors Association (VFCA) welcomed the Victorian Government’s amendments to the declaration for public safety zones for timber harvesting. Source: Timberbiz
These amendments will help protect the safety of forestry workers and protestors and streamline the areas covered by public safety zones to minimise the impact on the wider public.
Agriculture and Food Security Minister Peter Walsh said trespassers put everyone on the harvesting site in danger, including themselves and the officers who must attend to ensure their safe removal.
“Operational coupes can be hazardous worksites and require careful management due to the large equipment, heavy logs, noise levels and the nature of the activity,” the Minister said when announcing the changes.
“The Coalition Government has remade the declaration for public safety zones for timber harvesting to place a clear and certain prohibition on access within 150 metres of operational timber harvesting coupes.
“It is now an offence to enter a public safety zone if timber harvesting operations are occurring. Previously, trespassers only faced charges when they interfered with timber harvesting. Trespassers can also be charged if they cause an object or substance to enter a public safety zone.
“Trespassers who engage in disruptive or dangerous actions may also face charges under existing offences which include failing to comply with the direction of an authorised officer to leave a public safety zone, and re-entering a public safety zone contrary to the direction of an authorised officer,” he said.
Forestry public safety zones within State forests now encompass any coupe specified in a Timber Release Plan or Wood Utilisation Plan plus a 150 metre safety buffer, where public access is prohibited from the start until the end of timber harvesting operations in that zone.
“However, the new public safety zones will now take up less area in our State forests as they more accurately reflect coupe boundaries, with a buffer, and will only apply when timber harvesting operations are occurring.
“This will benefit recreational forest users as they no longer block out big squares of State forest as occurred under previous arrangements where four square co-ordinates defined the boundaries.”
The Minister said the new approach opened up more forest for recreational users and provided a clearer regulatory framework to ensure better public safety and a more productive industry.
“This is a win for local communities, recreational forest users and the timber industry,” the Minister said.
He said the Coalition Government was working hard to maintain public safety and protect the rights of Victorians to conduct lawful commercial activities in State forests.
“Victoria’s native timber industry provides important economic support to many of our regional towns and employs around 11,000 Victorians. The timber from our native forests is sourced sustainably and plays a crucial role in Victoria’s forestry industry and in providing renewable products.”
VAFI chief executive officer Lisa Marty said the changes clarified existing regulations, making it an offence to enter a public safety zone if timber harvesting operations are in progress, where previously charges were only laid when timber harvesting operations were specifically interfered with.
“These changes provide certainty for those administering the laws, as well as for workers in these areas and protestors,” Marty said.
“This is also a win for the general public.
“As a result of these amendments public safety zones will more accurately reflect the boundaries of forest worksites and will take up less area in State forests.
VFCA Vice-Chair Malcom Warnock said the clearer regulatory framework would help improve the safety for forestry workers, who continue to suffer from illegal entries into their workplaces by anti-forestry activists.
“Heavy machinery is frequently used on our worksites and a number of safety risks are created for both workers and activists themselves if they enter the site without our knowledge,” Warnock said.
“We hope that this new, clearer public safety declaration will help end the recent trend of activists illegally entering forest worksites, sometimes in the dark, and sneaking up behind heavy equipment to force workers to stop what they are doing.
“We support the right to protest, but they can do that without entering our place of business.”
