The WA Government has been told to stop dragging its feet over the Native Forest Transition Group and its subgroups which were set up to supply support packages for workers affected by the State Government’s contentious decision to ban native logging by 2024. Source: Timberbiz
The Native Forest Transition Group’s subgroups, the Business Transition Subgroup and Worker Transition Subgroup, were scheduled to meet this week to progress development of worker and business support package.
However, the meetings were cancelled with the State Government claiming it needed more time to prepare draft packages for the consideration of the subgroups, even though draft packages had been prepared and considered back in November last year.
Forest Industries Federation WA Chief Executive Officer Adele Farina said this was unacceptable and called on the government to stop dragging its feet and remove its vicelike grip over the NFTG and its subgroups.
“When announcing its decision to cease native forestry by the end of 2023, the State Government promised to support workers, businesses and communities through the transition process,” Ms Farina said.
“That was more than four months ago. Workers and businesses are still waiting on the government to finalise the promised support packages.”
Ms Farina said the transition process had been hindered by the State Government’s vicelike grip on the work of the NFTG and the subgroups.
She said everything was vetted by the State Government before being presented at a meeting, micro-managing the work of the NFTG and subgroups and preventing them from doing the work they have been appointed to do.
This is unnecessarily prolonging the finalisation of vital support packages.
“Members of the subgroups were told they would be working with government to draft the packages, but this isn’t the case,” Ms Farina said.
“The packages are being drafted by faceless men and women with no real understanding of the impact of the government’s decision on timber businesses and workers. This leads to bad decisions and is not what the government promised. The process is a sham.
“That the State Government would engage in such conduct knowing the detrimental impact its decision and the delay in finalising packages is having on impacted businesses and workers is shameful.”
Last month, after cancelling the scheduled December meeting of the Business Subgroup, Forestry Minister Dave Kelly claimed the State Government had expected the packages to have been finalised by early January and falsely accused industry of delaying finalisation of the support packages.
“The claim when made was absurd and strongly refuted by industry,” Ms Farina said.
“If there was any doubt, this cancellation of the subgroup meetings makes clear the fault for the delays rests solely with the State Government.”
It has been almost two months since the last Business Subgroup meeting was held on November 25, 2021, and since then, there has been no government consultation with industry or subgroup members with respect to the drafting of the packages.
With no further meetings of the Business or Worker Subgroups scheduled before the next meeting of the NFTG to be held on February 3, it appears the packages will not be presented to the February NFTG meeting, unless the government proposes to do so by bypassing the subgroups it established to draft the packages.
“This would be the final insult in what has been a shambolic process to date,” Ms Farina said.
“How much pain and uncertainty does this government want to inflict on timber businesses and workers?
“For more than four months Industry has been urging the government for clarity and certainty. Industry has no greater clarity and certainty today than it had when the announcement was made.
“Industry calls on the Government to remove its vicelike grip on the process and immediately convene meetings of the subgroups to progress the support packages.”
WA’s forestry industry contributes $1.4 billion to the WA economy annually and supports about 6000 jobs, with more than 90% of those jobs located in regional communities.
