The Logging Industry’s Plan for (all) Australian Forests until 2050
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IFA ‘tenure neutral’ President to co-chair new forestry advisory group’
The Forest and Wood Products Council (FIAC) is the logging industry lobby group now entrenched within the Australian Federal Government. By legislation an industry delegate co-chairs the council with the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources (or his/her delegate). That delegate is referred to by his own organisation as ‘tenure neutral’ President. Read on for the significance.
FIAC recommends to the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources (or his/her delegate) proposed legislation or policies pertaining to Australia’s forests.
FIAC was established as the result of a 2013 election promise to the National Party and the logging industry, represented in Australia by the Forests Wood Products Association and the Australian Forests Products Association. The first governmental co-chair was National Party Senator Richard Colbeck, then Assistant to Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, Barnaby Joyce.
Now Liberal Senator Anne Ruston is co-chairs FIAC along with Rob De Fedegly described by his own organisation ‘tenure neutral’.
Senator Colbeck was and is still an avid supporter of and advocate for removing management of Australian forests from the jurisdiction of national parks agencies and/or departments of environment and transferring all forested areas to management by the logging industry. This is termed ‘nil tenure’ or ‘tenure neutral’ by the National Party and the logging industry, i.e. ignoring protective legislation and treating all forests the same.
Senator Colbeck’s logging industry management includes logging national parks and other areas where logging is currently prohibited under the guise of stopping forests from being ‘overstocked’ with trees (logging industry terminology). The industry terms this ‘thinning’. Likewise FIAC recommended and obtained from the federal government $1.5 million dollars to experiment with ‘thinning and burning’ native forests under the guise of bushfire mitigation. The science against this is ignored.
The Terms of Reference and vested interests of the members of the Forest Industry Advisory Council illustrate the degree to which policy and legislation regarding Australian forests is dictated by the logging industry. No independent scientific or economic advisors sit on this council. Members are affiliated with logging and/or logging industry products and forestry agencies. The Institute of Foresters’ (IFA) media release regarding the establishment of FIAC and the appointment of its President as FIAC co-chair boasted: IFA ‘tenure neutral’ President to co-chair new forestry advisory group’.
FIAC is delivered through the Forest and Wood Products Council under subsection 11 of the Regional Forest Agreements Act 2002, (RFAs). It is not surprising FIAC recommends to the government renewal of a new phase of Regional Forest Agreements (RFAs) to legitimise ongoing industrial logging of native forests, across Australia.
When FIAC refers to ‘rolling renewals’ of RFAs it refers to there being no definite end date in the new RFA phase, i.e. at the end of the next RFA expiry date in 20 years, the agreements can continue simply by a Minister stating that a relevant 5 year review has been done. This is how the RFA ‘roll over’ can occur, every 5 years, in semi-perpetuity.
This is what FIAC has been established to effect, ongoing and increased access to the last remnants of Australian’s native forests and woodlands by the international and domestic logging industry.
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