Australia's forest industries welcome the Albanese Government's latest round of grants awarded under the Support Plantation Establishment Program (SPEP) announced yesterday. However, a significant program extension is needed to build Australia's sovereign capability in timber and wood-fibre for the decades ahead, Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA), Diana Hallam said today.
Yesterday's announcement has more than $2.3 million awarded to assist establishment of five new plantations in NSW, Victoria, WA and Tasmania. The funding will go towards a mix of both softwood and hardwood plantations totalling over 1200 hectares.
The SPEP is providing funding to support the establishment of up to 36,000 hectares of new softwood and hardwood plantation forests nationally.
"We welcome and thank the Government for this latest tranche of plantation establishment grants and the Commonwealth's ongoing investment to support a range of measures for forestry and the supply chain," Diana Hallam said.
"To continue the critical ongoing investment in timber tree production plantings - as part of AFPA's Australian Timber. Australia's Future. Election Platform - we're calling on all sides of politics to commit to providing a $200 million extension for the program to boost domestic supply, enhance sovereign capability and fight climate change by helping decarbonise the economy with increased timber and wood-fibre use," Diana Hallam said.
"Australia and the world is turning more to carbon friendly resources and materials for construction, energy, packaging and a range of other products. We need new plantations in the ground now to meet the increasing future demand for timber and wood-fibre. Furthermore, as global trade becomes more uncertain, we need to focus on growing and using more of our own locally and sustainably produced resource, rather than importing more from overseas, often from countries without the rigorous environmental standards we have in Australia.
"I again thank the Government for its commitment to plantation establishment and look forward to working with them and all sides of politics during the Federal Election campaign to secure the best possible future for Australia's sustainable, renewable and essential forest products sector," Diana Hallam concluded.
