As the Federal Election campaign continues, the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) welcomes One Nation's suite of policies announced today, aimed at supporting Australia's forestry and forest products sector and securing the nation's timber future.
AFPA Chief Executive Officer, Diana Hallam said, most of the Pauline Hanson's One Nation commitments closely align with AFPA's own election platform - Australian Timber. Australia's Future - and demonstrate One Nation's recognition of the critical role the sector plays in Australia's economy and regional communities.
One Nation's forestry policy commitments include:
- Opposing any further native forest lockups of areas that are available for sustainable harvesting
- Supporting Country of Origin labelling - informing consumers about where the timber they buy, comes from
- Extending plantation establishment grants to assist planting of an additional 18,000 hectares annually
- Supporting development of a National Fire Response Plan for Australia's forests
- Supporting a summit to develop polices around incentivising the adoption of modular and prefabricated timber housing
One Nation has also committed to a 'local wood first' policy for government procurement, exempting building materials (including timber) from the GST for five years for homes up to $1 million, cracking down on illegal timber imports, supporting the delivery of forestry tertiary education, and changing National Electricity Market rules to reduce electricity costs for timber and wood-fibre manufacturing businesses by 20 per cent.
"On behalf of Australia's forest industries, I welcome One Nation's comprehensive and practical policy agenda," Diana Hallam said.
AFPA also acknowledged One Nation's pivotal role in moving an amendment in Parliament last year to remove an unintended tax burden on the plantation forestry sector - an outcome that protected critical investment and jobs.
"Last year, Senator Pauline Hanson and One Nation were instrumental in removing a $20 million per year tax impost that would have undermined investment in new plantations - vital for securing timber for housing and essential products," Diana Hallam said.
"We encourage all sides of politics to commit to our Australian Timber. Australia's Future Election Platform in full this campaign. Only with the support of the next Government and Parliament, will our sector be able to realise it's potential for the economy, jobs, environment and communities," Diana Hallam concluded.
