Ben Hubbard
The appointment of Ben Hubbard as the new chairman of VicForests has been attacked by the Nationals in Victoria as a “sneaky move to parachute another Labor mate into an executive role”. Source: Timberbiz
Mr Hubbard will take on the roles of director and chairman of the VicForests board to replace outgoing chairman Chris Lovell from 31 May. The State Government announced the appointment on Friday.
Mr Hubbard is the former CEO of the Victorian Bushfire Reconstruction and Recovery Authority and showed strong leadership as he worked with affected individuals and communities as they recovered from the Black Saturday bushfires. He also undertook the previous government’s review of long-term bushfire recovery in 2014.
He was previously Chief Strategy Officer at a national law firm and Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and a senior adviser to Labor Premier Steve Bracks. He is the current National Chair of the YMCA and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Shadow Agriculture Minister Peter Walsh slammed the move to parachute another Labor mate into an executive role with the Victorian public sector.
“The Andrews Government has no shame in rewarding its Labor mates with big responsibility or big salaries in the Victorian public sector to implement Daniel Andrews’ radical political agenda,” Mr Walsh said.
“Victoria’s native timber industry supports tens of thousands of Victorians to put food on the table, pay the bills and send the kids to school but under Labor this industry is being axed for nothing more than political point-scoring,” Mr Walsh said.
“The industry needs a champion, but by appointing a Labor mate to head up VicForests the Labor Government is selfishly ensuring a champion for its own radical, activist-friendly agenda.
“Industry is furious at being relentlessly targeted by a Labor Government that’s willingly complicit in furthering the agenda of the extreme activists who want to see our local, sustainable industry destroyed.”
The State Government’s 2030 native timber ban comes as the nation’s building industry suffers a materials shortage that’s pushing up costs.
Mr Walsh said that local supply issues will not stop demand, but will guarantee our increased reliance on imports from countries without Victoria’s high sustainability standards and social expectations.
Earlier this year the Victorian Ombudsman was asked to investigate the politicisation of the Victorian public sector, after growing concern that the only prerequisite to work in the Victorian Government is a past employment history with Labor.
Mr Walsh said this latest VicForests appointment should be added to the list.
“Quietly slipping this out on the eve of a Federal Election tells us Labor knows Victorians will question the legitimacy of this appointment,” Mr Walsh said.
“Only a change in Government in November will ensure the 2030 ban is reversed and that tens of thousands of Victorian jobs are saved.”
The State Government in its announcement said that Mr Hubbard would support VicForests through its next phase of transition, ahead of the 2024 step-down, as the organisation delivers on the Government’s timber commitments under the Victorian Forestry Plan, concentrating on contracting, harvesting and regeneration.
Mr Hubbard’s extensive career in the public and private sector demonstrates he is an excellent candidate to lead VicForests through a period of change and transition in the industry, the statement said.
The Victorian Forestry Plan was created to transition the native forest industry to a range of new opportunities by 2030, moving towards plantation-based supply.
The Plan ensures critical supply chains that rely on native timber will have enough time to adjust ahead of the phase out in 2030, while supporting workers and communities through the 2024 step-down and beyond.
“Ben Hubbard has extensive senior leadership experience, which will support the transition of VicForests and its operations to deliver the Victorian Forestry Plan,” Agriculture Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said.
“We thank the outgoing Chair of VicForests Chris Lovell for his many years of hard work and for leading the organisation through the first phase of the Victorian Forestry Plan.”
