Select Committee on Matters Relating to the Timber Industry in the Limestone Coast

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (16:35): I move:

That the interim report of the select committee be noted.

The Select Committee on Matters Relating to the Timber Industry in the Limestone Coast was an important committee and continues to be an important committee. The timber industry is an industry that is worth $3 billion each year. It is an industry that employs 18,000 people directly and indirectly. It is a truly renewable industry, with significant carbon benefits, and of course it provides essential products for our community, from house frames to furniture, paper, cardboard and tissue manufacturing. Increased demand both domestically and internationally, as well as losses of trees through bushfires, has created significant timber shortages, so it was an important committee to look at an important industry.

We received 33 separate submissions, which were highly detailed, lengthy and considered, and I would like to thank all of the people and organisations who devoted so much time to making those submissions, appearing before the committee and hosting site visits, particularly given the COVID interruptions and difficulties. I would also like to thank our secretary, Ms Emma Johnston, who battled through all of the challenges that COVID presented and all of the challenges that perhaps COVID did not present but which came from other sources. I also thank our researcher, Mr Bernie O'Neill, noting that Mr O'Neill was appointed very late in the day, so he had huge volumes of material to work through.

I would also like to thank the committee members: the Hon. Russell Wortley, the Hon. Frank Pangallo, the Hon. Dennis Hood, the Hon. Heidi Girolamo replacing the Hon. David Ridgway, and yourself, Mr Deputy President, the Hon. Terry Stephens, for a period of time also. I would like to particularly place on the record my appreciation of the work of those members on the committee, because it was approached in a very balanced way, without seeking to score political points but instead working cooperatively to look at future opportunities to support a crucial industry for our state.

While it is unfortunate that the complete report is not yet finalised, the gathering of the evidence has been invaluable in providing greater insight into the industry and the opportunities within it. In the report, we recommend that the committee be re-established following the election to be able to receive all of that evidence and then make and present the final report.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. N.J. Centofanti.