Native forest logging in New South Wales (NSW) will continue to receive support, the Australian Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union and the NSW Nationals party said, despite a report by the previous coalition government that found that the industry could be ended without hurting the budget.
However, environmental groups have welcomed the revelation that the department assessed an industry closure for then-NSW minister for environment and heritage James Griffin, saying it is proof that it could be done “if the political will is there.”
The NSW Labor Party’s incoming minister for climate change and energy Penny Sharpe was not briefed on the work that found carbon and biodiversity credit income from halting logging could pay for compensation to loggers and others affected by an end, Guardian Australia found.
Photo: Reuters
New South Wales Treasurer Daniel Mookhey, who has responsibility for state-owned Forestry Corp NSW, has been approached for comment.
Union national secretary Michael O’Connor warned against the cessation of the industry, saying it employs “thousands of workers” and is vital for the social fabric of many communities.
O’Connor said the NSW Labor government “won’t treat our members with the disrespect we’ve received from the [Daniel] Andrews government,” referring to the premier of Victoria.
On Tuesday, Victoria announced it would bring forward the end of native logging to next year, a decision some workers learned about on the radio as they headed to work, he said.
“We’re confident NSW will be a lot more inclusive about how they make decisions,” he said.
Native forest logging has been loss-making for years, prompting Victoria to follow Western Australia’s looming ban.
Unions have said there are not enough plantations to supply the market with sufficient hardwood, so demand would divert to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and other nations with looser rules.
However, analysis supporting the industry’s closure showed “it can be done if the political will is there,” NSW Nature Conservation Council chief executive officer Jacqui Mumford said.
“At a time when our forests are in peril, species are spiraling towards extinction, and NSW is struggling to meet its climate goals, ending native forest logging is a no-brainer to work towards solving these linked crises,” Mumford said. “Pressure is mounting on the [NSW Premier Chris] Minns’ government to take action to protect NSW’s precious forests from logging.”
National Party of Australia leader Dugald Saunders did not deny his party had stymied the plan to phase out native forestry.
“We always supported regional communities to ensure native forest harvesting in NSW is carefully managed under a robust regulatory framework to ensure the right balance is struck between environmental protection and forestry operations,” he said.
North Korea yesterday made a rare mention of dissenting votes in recent elections, although analysts dismissed it as an attempt to portray an image of a normal society rather than signaling any meaningful increase of rights in the authoritarian state. The reclusive country has one of the most highly controlled societies in the world, with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un accused of using a system of patronage and repression to retain absolute power. Reporting on the results of Sunday’s election for deputies to regional people’s assemblies, the North’s state media said that 0.09 percent and 0.13 percent voted against the selected candidates
WEATHER PROBLEM: Seoul said the launch, which comes after the North said its new spy satellite is taking images of US military facilities, was rescheduled for Saturday South Korea has delayed the planned launch of its first military spy satellite set for tomorrow, officials said, days after rival North Korea said it had put its own spy satellite into orbit for the first time. Under a contract with SpaceX, South Korea is to launch five spy satellites by 2025, and its first launch using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket had been scheduled to take place at California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base in the US. The South Korean Ministry of National Defense yesterday said in a brief statement that the launch was delayed due to weather conditions. Ministry officials said the
ECONOMICS? ECONOMICS? The new prime minister said that taxing cigarette sales would contribute revenue, while banning them would create a flourishing black market New Zealand’s plans for world-leading anti-smoking laws are to be revoked, Christopher Luxon confirmed yesterday after being sworn in as prime minister, in a move described as a “huge win for the tobacco industry.” Former airline boss Luxon took over six weeks after his conservative National Party won national elections, ending a six-year Labour Party reign ushered in by former prime minister Jacinda Ardern. Luxon, 53, was sworn in as head of a new coalition government by New Zealand Governor-General Cindy Kiro in a ceremony in the capital, Wellington. “It is an honor and an awesome responsibility,” Luxon told reporters. The conservative said he
ELECTION INTERFERENCE: Meta did not publicly link the account network to the Chinese government, but said it is based in China and sought to inflate divisions within the US Someone in China created thousands of fake social media accounts designed to appear to be from Americans and used them to spread polarizing political content in an apparent effort to divide the US ahead of next year’s presidential elections, Meta said on Thursday. The network of about 4,800 fake accounts was attempting to build an audience when it was identified and eliminated by the tech company, which owns Facebook and Instagram. The accounts sported fake photos, names and locations as a way to appear like everyday American Facebook users weighing in on political issues. Instead of spreading fake content as other networks
RSS