Wellington Shire Council's vision is for happy people, healthy environment and thriving communities.
After Hours Emergency
1300 366 244Following the announcement in November 2019 that the Labor government would phase out native timber harvesting by 2030, Wellington Shire Council and East Gippsland Shire Council both wrote to the Premier requesting further information about the decision-making process.
Wellington Shire Council sought to obtain the scientific data under freedom of information that was used in order to better understand the government’s decision. After a lengthy delay, a response was received on 10 March 2022 and is available below.
Wellington Shire Council formed the Native Timber Taskforce (NTT) in response to the state government’s lack of provision of information for the phase out decision.
Membership includes Wellington Shire Council (chair), East Gippsland Shire Council, Timber Towns Victoria, National Timber Council, Australia Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH), Radial Timber and the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).
The first meeting of the NTT was held in July 2020, with the development of a strategy to continue in the pursuit of information from the state government. The NTT engaged lawyers to act on its behalf and lodge Freedom of Information requests to the government seeking the data.
Wellington Shire Council and East Gippsland Shire Council engaged a specialist economic impact consultant to investigate the likely impact the timber phase-out would have on the economies in both shires.
In April 2021, the consultant provided data that indicate around 1,110 jobs would be lost if native timber harvesting cased immediately in both municipalities. That figure includes direct and indirect jobs, ranging from forestry contractors to transport company workers, through to employees at shops where timber workers spend their money.
For Wellington Shire specifically where forestry is a major employer, this has had a devastating impact on the local economy. In particular, the towns of Heyfield and Yarram have borne the brunt of this impact, presenting a significant challenge for local government to navigate and make the best of this difficult situation.
Please see below for more information about Timber Towns Victoria.
Wellington Shire Council is a member of Timber Towns Victoria (TTV), an incorporated Local Government Association that represents the interests of municipal councils in relation to forestry on both public and private land.
The association is a strong advocate for the community and the forestry industry and sits on the newly formed Native Timber Taskforce (NTT), which is addressing the State Government's decision to cease native timber harvesting.
TTV provides a forum for local governments across the state to address the management of forests and forest industries and their impact on local communities.
Key objectives:
For more information, visit the Timber Towns Victoria website.
Following the November 2019 announcement that the Labor government would phase out native timber harvesting by 2030, two economic studies were conducted to assess the impact of the closure of native timber harvesting.