Over 9000 jobs will go in the hardwood industry if the ‘Great Koala National Park’ is imposed on north coast communities, say forestry workers.
They gathered at NSW Parliament House today to plead with MP's not to create the park given the latest research shows healthy koala numbers.
The latest CSIRO research from 2024 shows koala populations number up to 524,000.
That’s far more than from a previous 2016 study by Adams-Hosking which estimated populations at 331,000 and led to calls for the establishment of the park.
Hardwood is used for power poles, wharves, walkways and flooring. Hardwoods are used for these mostly outdoor applications as they are stronger and harder wearing than softwoods.
Softwoods are generally sourced from pine plantations and used for internal ceilings and furniture.
Hardwood sourced from native forest is already heavily restricted. By law no harvesting occurs in old growth forest, and clear felling is also outlawed.
Only a small proportion of trees are harvested and are immediately replanted.
88% of NSW Public Forests are already protected, and of the remaining 12% only 0.2% are subject to selective timber harvesting.
There are five competing models for the ‘Great Koala National Park’, with forestry workers supportive of models which don’t endanger forestry communities.
Any radical changes to forestry practice in the north will cripple south coast processing facilities where most of NSW’s forestry products are made.
Australian Workers’ Union NSW Secretary Tony Callinan says the latest 2024 CSIRO study shows koala populations are higher than many thought.
“The latest CSIRO research shows koala numbers in NSW are higher than many thought and that’s great news,” Mr Callinan said.
“The key here is balancing the need to protect native species while providing future generations the raw materials for housing and infrastructure.
“9000 north coast locals have jobs in the timber supply chain with their pay cheques going directly into their small communities, it’s imperative we get the balance right or we’ll endanger this $3 billion industry.
“The worst possible scenario would be to get timber from parts of the world with no environmental standards, or to use more climate change intensive products for our power poles, wharves and flooring.
“Timber is quite literally nature’s carbon capture and storage, we should be harnessing it as much as possible while ensuring healthy populations of native species.
“Forestry workers from the north coast are here in NSW Parliament House today to make sure decision makers know we have to get this balancing act right to ensure their communities’ survival.
“They’ve been meeting with Labor Party MPs and telling them not to abandon their core constituency of hard working Australian families on this issue or they might find themselves an endangered species."
