Wood Fibre and Timber Industry Master Plan

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (14:57): My question is to the Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development. Can the minister please update the council about the latest initiative being delivered from the forestry master plan?

The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development, Minister for Forest Industries) (14:57): I thank the honourable member for his question and also his ongoing interest in forest industries. The Malinauskas Labor government took to the election a suite of forestry election commitments for the Limestone Coast to support the industries' continued aspirations to grow their economic value.

Members in this place may recall that earlier this year I joined the Premier in Mount Gambier in announcing the release of the South Australian Wood Fibre and Timber Industry Master Plan. The master plan provides a vision to further grow and develop South Australia's $1.4 billion forest and timber industries. The plan has been developed by the Forest Industries Advisory Council, which has a broad membership from different sectors within the forest industries, in consultation with myself as the Minister for Forest Industries.

It was critical that this master plan had significant input from the forest industries, and I am delighted by the outcome of the significant work that was put into this document. Three goals have been identified through the master plan to strengthen the state's forest and timber industries, and these are: the right resource and capability, a future-focused workforce and a clean and green circular economy.

As a result of the development of this master plan, I recently received a request from industry for the development of a project to encourage people to consider a career in the forest industries in South Australia, which is why a few weeks ago the state government announced that we will invest $250,000, in partnership with the South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA), to launch a new forest and timber industries career campaign titled This Is Wood Work.

Wood Work is a powerful tool promoting the broad diversity of career pathways and job options within the forest and timber industries, ranging from forest management, to harvest and haulage, sawing and wood production, and even corporate services. The career opportunities in the forest and timber industries are extensive.

Forest industries are building our nation and, with growing investment in new processing facilities, it is an industry that requires skilled, technologically savvy, and environmentally-driven professionals. The Wood Work campaign will showcase how one can find a career with a diversity of pathways, while contributing to a greener, cleaner future by producing the ultimate renewable product: timber.

It was wonderful to make this announcement at AAM Timber in Mount Gambier recently, and speak with a number of workers who had recently made the switch and changed career paths from other industries to the forest sector. As members in this place would acknowledge, South Australia's Limestone Coast is fast becoming the nation's hub of forestry innovation, particularly with the establishment of the Forestry Centre of Excellence, and expansion of Tree Breeding Australia's research facility, along with the electric log truck trial.

It is an extremely exciting time to be involved in the forest industry here in South Australia, and we want to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that we attract the best and brightest to the industry. This is another example of industry and government working hand-in-hand with the aim to futureproof the forest industry by attracting talented workers to produce timber products that are essential to our everyday needs, such as timber house frames, home furnishings, paper and packaging products such as cardboard boxes and paper cups

I am sure our fellow Mount Gambier residents, of which there is least one here in the chamber, will be pleased to see the campaign highlighted across Mount Gambier in the coming months, with many parts of the city being decorated in This Is Wood Work branding, from billboards on the main street to the back of buses, adverts in the newspaper, on radio and social media, reaching the core demographic of school leavers and young people looking for a meaningful, stable career in a renewable industry.

I would like to thank the South Australian Forest Products Association CEO, Mr Nathan Paine, and communicators adviser, Ms Haley Welch, for their considerable hard work in establishing this exciting initiative for the forest industry. Our forest industry in South Australia is a significant contributor to our state's economy, and I am confident that we will continue to see an emphasis on a future-focused circular economy, sustainably driving the state's economic prosperity with globally recognised skills and innovation.