Question Without Notice No. 417 asked in the Legislative Council on 17 August 2017 by Hon Diane Evers
Parliament: 40 Session: 1
FOREST PRODUCTS COMMISSION
417. Hon DIANE EVERS to the minister representing the Minister for Forestry:
I refer to claims by the Forest Products Commission in publicity materials on its website that the south west native forest‑based timber industry directly employs more than 1 000 people.
(1) Given that this figure is referenced to a 2012 study by URS Australia Pty Ltd and there has been a decline in south west native forest timber production since that time, does the minister agree that this figure is unlikely to be accurate today; and, if not, why not?
(2) Noting that the 2012 URS figure includes 286 jobs in forest management, 166 jobs in harvest and haulage, 441 jobs in sawmills and 152 jobs in secondary manufacturing, what is the government's estimate of the current number of direct jobs in each of these sectors of the native forest‑based timber industry?
(3) Will the minister ask the Forest Products Commission to remove or update its publicity material regarding the number of people directly employed in the south west native forest‑based timber industry; and, if not, why not?
Hon ALANNAH MacTIERNAN replied:
I thank the member for some notice of the question. The Minister for Forestry has provide the following answer.
(1) Yes.
(2) The government does not currently have an estimate. However, on 20 February 2016, the Forest Products Commission commissioned an independent assessment of employment in the forestry industry. This assessment is being finalised.
(3) Yes.