Exit packages for 61 in the forestry and timber industry

The Tasmanian Forest Contractors Association has welcomed the announcement by Federal Minister Senator Joe Ludwig of the completion of the assessment and approval of 61 successful applicants under the IGA Contractor Exit Assistance Program. Successful applicants can expect to be made offers over the next few days.
“The exit assistance will be the saviour of many contracting families in this state, and a big help to the communities in which they live.” TFCA chief executive officer Ed Vincent said.
“This is a step in a long process. It provides certainty to those contractors that the industry re-structure, currently in full swing, provides a level of assistance to help their staff and families.
“It comes after nearly two years of extremely hard work by TFCA.
“The challenge now is to ensure that contractors remaining in the industry can look forward to a better future than might otherwise be the case,” he said.
TFCA will be rolling out a series of initiatives over the coming weeks, to assist its members to do just that.
The Federal Coalition has given the thumbs up to the long-awaited announcement that support for Tasmanian forest contractors would finally commence.
“It is about time. The exit package process has dragged on for too long,” Forestry Spokesman Senator Richard Colbeck said.
“Money isn’t flowing yet though, it is just offers at this stage. For the sake of the stressed contractors and their families this process must not be delayed any further.
“The Coalition has long supported assistance to forest contractors. In fact, we led the way at the 2010 election and Labor matched our policy within two hours after previously telling contractors there would be no support.
“The Federal Government’s reference today (Friday) to our 2010 policy and to the Coalition’s opposition to the Intergovernmental Agreement shows Labor has no understanding of the long-term issues facing Tasmania’s forestry industry.
“Labor’s sham lock-up in the IGA is only setting the industry up for another timber supply crisis in 5-10 years.
“And for all that, we still have no peace in the forests,” Senator Colbeck said.