By Raquel Mustillo
PRIMARY Industries and Regional Development Minister David Basham has pledged to discuss a timber processor-backed draft forestry code of practice with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Mr Basham met with a range of stakeholders, including the Forestry Industry Advisory Council, forest growers and processors, to discuss issues in the industry during a tour of the region this week.
The minister also met with the South Australian Timber Processors Association to discuss its draft document which aims to govern plantation owners and their dealings with individual or small domestic processing facilities, including prospective customers.
The association hopes the document would be adopted as a mandatory code of practice which would be regulated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
He said he offered to contact ACCC commissioner Mick Keogh, who Mr Basham said he had previously worked alongside while Australian Dairy Farmers president and South Australian Dairy Farmers’ Association chair to develop a dairy code of conduct.
“I am going to make contact with him and allow them to have a conversation to see whether they think they can find a workable solution there with his help,” Mr Basham said.
South Australian Timber Processors Association chair David Quill welcomed the minister’s pledge and said the establishment of a code of conduct would alleviate issues in both domestic manufacturing as well as boosting regional prosperity.
“Our meeting with Minister Basham was extraordinarily satisfactory, he understood the issues coming from a dairy base and he was very supportive,” he said.
“Prior to 2012, there were no issues whatsoever in supplying log to any of the small processors.”
The document – which accompanies the release of an industry report by the Forestry Industry Advisory Council of South Australia – highlights six conditions comprising of access to logs, supply agreement terms, transparency, products, pricing and social conscience.
The code of practice has been presented to Federal Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonathon Duniam and former Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone.
Mr Basham hoped to work with plantation growers and processors facilitate further development of the state’s $2.3b forestry industry.
“I will help the industry where I can as they bring the issues to me, hopefully they have some solutions I might be able to work with as well,” he said.
“I will work with them to try and bring the best return for the region.”
