Australian Paper, the Latrobe Valley’s largest private sector employer, has confirmed the importance of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union’s (CFMEU) Let’s Spread it Around campaign. Sources: Timberbiz
The campaign is calling on all levels of the Australian government and public service to buy Australian made paper in order to support the thousands of local jobs generated by Australia’s pulp and paper industry.
“Benefitting from the high Australian dollar, imported papers from countries such as Indonesia, China and Thailand, are flooding into Australia while the valuable contribution of locally manufactured papers to our Australian economy, communities and jobs, is being ignored by many.
Together, Australia’s federal, state and local governments form the largest national paper buying group and we need their support for Australian manufacturing now more than ever before,” said Jim Henneberry CEO of Australian Paper.
“As a significant local manufacturer, Australian Paper’s operations have a major positive revenue impact across all levels of government. Independent analysis shows that our annual contribution to government revenue equates to $1.81 per ream of copy paper or $724 for every tonne of paper we manufacture.
“It makes real sense for governments to take this into account and actively support paper made locally rather than from overseas.
“Stronger government support for Australian made paper should also extend to our colleagues across the broader paper manufacturing industry including the packaging, tissue and newsprint sectors.
“The CFMEU’s Let’s Spread it Around campaign recognises the importance of local manufacturing and local jobs to healthy Australian communities.
“Governments at all levels are large users of paper and the campaign emphasises the important role local, state and federal governments can play in taking into account the value created by a major Australian manufacturing industry and the thousands of local jobs we support,” Henneberry said.
Australian Paper’s commitment to sustainable innovation has been reinforced with their $90 million investment in Australia’s only white paper recycling plant. The plant will begin operation in 2014, diverting up to 80,000 tonnes of wastepaper from Australian landfill every year.
Australian Paper manufactures approximately 600,000 tonnes per annum of premium office, printing and packaging papers, including market-leading Reflex, at the Maryvale Mill in the Latrobe Valley and the Shoalhaven Mill in Nowra. Maryvale is Australia’s largest integrated pulp and paper mill.
Two prominent billboards are in the heart of Morwell, with the aim of putting their industry’s future firmly on the political agenda during the five-week Federal Election campaign.
The billboards carry a simple message “Don’t shred pulp and paper jobs. Buying Australian paper means Australian jobs.”
The Maryvale mill opened in 1937, and since then it’s been an economic backbone for the communities of Morwell and Traralgon, where most of the 1000 direct employees live.
CFMEU Pulp and Paper Workers District federal secretary Alex Millar said the billboards also coincided with a postcard writing campaign, which has involved thousands of pulp and paper workers writing to politicians from all major political parties.
