New data shows imported timber volumes increasing at the cost of Australian jobs and an urgent need for ‘country of origin’ timber labelling. Source: Timberbiz
A sharp increase in the value of imported hardwood products from places like Indonesia and Malaysia into Australia over the past decade further demonstrates that Victoria’s and Western Australia’s misguided decisions to close down native forestry have needlessly exported local jobs and economic activity, while destroying local and world leading forestry management practices that fight climate change through enhanced carbon storage.
It also highlights the need for Australians to be better informed about where the timber they buy, comes from, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Diana Hallam said.
“Australians need and love their hardwood products, and this new data shows that Aussies are increasingly getting them from overseas following the state based native forestry closures.
“This is a tragedy because the state governments in Victoria and Western Australia have ignored the fact that local industry is operated to the highest global environmental standards and they’ve killed an industry that provided thousands of jobs in regional areas, and created essential and durable everyday products,” Ms Hallam said.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data shows the value of hardwood imports from Indonesia increased from around $35.5 million in 2015 to a peak of $218 million in 2020 at the height of the housing boom and still at $137 million in 2024, despite the housing slump, while imported value from Malaysia increased by two and a half times over the same period.
“Australians are still getting hardwood products, but they’re getting more from overseas and from places that don’t enforce the stringent environmental practices and regulations our industry operates to in Australia.
“It raises the point that many Australians probably aren’t aware of where their timber products are coming from, highlighting the need for ‘country of origin’ labelling reform to inform consumers,” Ms Hallam said.
“Australia needs to keep sustainable native forestry open because doing so supports local economies and communities and it helps Australia fight climate change because we know properly managed native forests provide enhanced carbon storage compared with unmanaged forests, as identified by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
“This ABS data is further evidence that instead of supporting local and environmentally conscious industry that fights climate change and is the economic lifeblood of many regional areas, governments have chosen to replace our hardwood timber needs with imports that could be more environmentally damaging and that many Australians aren’t properly informed about,” Ms Hallam said.
