LIBERAL candidate for Mount Gambier Craig Marsh has welcomed the forestry industry’s $77m Ask of Government document while announcing the party will release a forestry policy ahead of the state election.
Mr Marsh told the audience at Monday night’s debate he was confident the Liberal Party would adopt most of the requests outlined in the Australian Forest Products Association’s $77m wishlist.
“I’m pretty sure that most of the points will be taken up,” he said.
“It’s a great idea for growing our forestry industry.
“Over the past few years, we have seen so much of our saw log go overseas and that just needs to stop.
“We need to keep more of our saw log in our region for our processors to grow jobs and grow our economy.”
However, independent candidate for Mount Gambier Troy Bell labelled the document as “cheeky” for its requests, which include a $40m co-contribution contingent on Federal Government funding for infrastructure upgrades and a $10m Renewable Energy Fund grant program.
“It’s a little bit cheeky on a couple of fronts,” he said.
“Some of these companies are making millions, if not combined hundreds of millions of dollars.
“I certainly want to partner with AFPA and their plan, but they are going to have to come meet us a bit better than a hand out like that.
“Let’s sit down and talk, but we’re going to be talking biomass and we’re going to be talking about a zero import target so that no processed log can come back to Australia and we process everything here in the South East.”
Mr Bell reiterated calls for an independent auditor to examine the sale of ForestrySA’s forward timber rotations and the conditions surrounding the sale.
“We need it to give my community confidence that those conditions that were signed off by the current government are actually being enacted,” he said.
“Australia exports about three million tonnes of log or wood product.
“The Port of Portland does 1.7 million.
“Over half of every log that gets exported out of Australia goes out of this port, yet we import 250,000 tonne of finished product.
“It’s madness.”
Australian Conservatives candidate Gregg Bisset said challenges around the high cost of power and employment was a contributing factor to an influx of imports.
“It is a reflection on where we are going in exporting,” he said.
“It’s difficult just to employ people in South Australia.
“At the end of the day we need the forestry industry in the South East, but we need to remember there are competing interests.”
