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What our politicians think
On Saturday the 27th of November there will be a State election in Victoria. The Melbourne Water Catchment Network (MWCN) has been driving a campaign since 2007 that seeks to get the majority of MP’s in the Victorian State Parliament to support an end to the logging in the Melbourne water supply catchments. To do this the Melbourne Water Catchment Network has lobbied councils and State politicians from all political parties.
A key part of our strategy is to remind politicians of the successful campaigning by the Otway Ranges Environment Network that stopped logging in the Geelong domestic water supply catchments in 2002. This was due to the 2002 election policies of former Premier Steve Bracks.
MP’s the MWCN has lobbied are listed below:
Recent speculation the Victorian ALP will support a logging ban in the Melbourne water catchments.
THE AGE: No forest quick fix: union
Adam Morton. October 28, 2010.
THE forestry workers’ union has warned the Brumby government not to make a quick-fix election commitment on native forests to woo the green vote, saying it would kill any chance of a Tasmanian-style peace deal for Victoria.
The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union has called for forestry peace talks for Victoria similar to those in Tasmania, where the timber industry and environment groups last week agreed to a framework deal to phase out the majority of native forest logging.
Michael O’Connor - the CFMEU forestry division national secretary who will lead the entire union from January - said Victorian timber companies had already been approached about joining talks on the industry’s future.
But he said this did not mean the union supported an end to native forest logging in Victoria, and cautioned against the state government promising a ”five-minute fix” before the November 27 poll.
It is understood Labor figures have been considering an election forestry commitment, with ending logging in Melbourne’s water catchments a likely priority.
Mr O’Connor said: ”My view is, if the government wanted to play around the edges with this issue they probably would kill off instantly any chance of a similar process as Tasmania ever happening.
”People who are advocating certain positions about the forestry issue just because there is an election around the corner, shouldn’t let the blood rush to their head.”
Mr O’Connor said the native forest industry was in crisis, and that peace talks were the best way to give security to forestry workers and towns. In the meantime, he called for the forest area available for logging to remain unchanged and timber contracts overhauled to protect workers’ rights.
Wilderness Society forests campaigner Luke Chamberlain called on the government to commit to supporting Victorian peace talks. He said they would need to protect native forests and give the logging industry a secure future in plantations.
Victorian Association of Forest Industries chief executive Philip Dalidakis said the association would expect to be involved if talks went ahead, but they would have to be on a different basis to Tasmania’s.
Environment Minister Gavin Jennings said the government would talk to all parties before any decisions.
Opposition spokesman Peter Walsh said a Coalition government would give security to the timber industry by guaranteeing ongoing access to forests. It would support peace talks if they had industry backing, but said it was ”very early days”.
Melissa Fyfe - Age - September 12, 2010
“The Sunday Age understands the Brumby Government is keen to bolster its environmental credentials before the state election by announcing a small reduction in native forest logging. Party strategists are believed to be currently looking at some of the controversial logging operations in Melbourne’s water catchments.”
Weekly Times, 22nd September, 2010, p. 9
Jobs to go in Greens pact. By Peter Hunt
VICTORIA’S embattled timber industry is demanding Labor and the Coalition reject Green calls for an end to timber harvesting in Melbourne’s water catchments.
Timber Communities Australia Coordinator Trevor Brown said the industry feared Labor would try to cut a deal to gain Green preferences at the coming Victorian election in return for ending catchment harvesting.
Mr Brown said a ban would see the industry lose another 454 regional jobs on top of the 2400 jobs already lost since Labor came to power in 1999.
He said a ban would devastate Noojee (38 jobs), Alexandra (55 jobs), Heyfield (190 jobs), Morwell (83 jobs), Geelong (40 jobs), Powelltown (25 jobs) and Yarra Junction (23 jobs).
Some Labor MPs are already campaigning for a ban, with Gembrook Labor MP Tammy Lobato posting out brochures stating she was working for “a ban on all logging in Melbourne’s water catchments”.
“The evidence is conclusive that logging reduces water yields in catchments,” Ms Lobarto’s brochure states. The Victorian Greens hopeful to gain three metropolitan Melbourne seats and the balance of power at the November 27 Victorian election, which could give them the leverage to ban native forest logging within Melbourne’s water catchments.
So far the Government has refused to rule out a post-election deal with the Greens on a ban.
A Government spokesman simply stated: “we will release an election policy concerning Victorian forestry closer to the date of the election”.
However, Opposition rural and regional development spokesman Peter Ryan said a Liberal-Nationals Coalition Government would not put further restrictions on timber harvesting in Victoria.
Mr Brown said high-quality hardwood from Melbourne’s catchments was kiln dried and processed into flooring, window frames and furniture.
He said timber harvesting was already restricted across most of Melbourne’s 157,000ha of water catchments.
About 20 per cent of the catchment is open to farming and timber harvesting, he said, with less than 300ha a year harvested in the Thomson Dam’s catchment.
Logging in Melbourne Catchments raised in State Parliament 17 September 2010
Timber industry: water catchment logging
Mr O’DONOHUE (Eastern Victoria) — My question is to the Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Mr Jennings. Has the government received advice on the economic impact on small towns like Millgrove, Powelltown and Yarra Junction of the introduction of a policy to ban logging in Melbourne’s water catchments?
Mr JENNINGS (Minister for Environment and Climate Change) — If such an analysis has been undertaken, I have not seen it. I have not undertaken any such analysis. If other parts of government have undertaken that analysis, it has not been shared across government.
- Supplementary question
Mr O’DONOHUE (Eastern Victoria) — As a supplementary question, I ask: is the minister aware that Labor MPs have said they are ‘working for a ban on logging in Melbourne’s water catchments’? Is this government policy, and does he endorse this position?
Mr JENNINGS (Minister for Environment and Climate Change) — I can understand why Mr O’Donohue might want to get ahead of the election campaign and get into some speculation about what policies the Labor Party might pursue and what policies the Liberal Party might pursue. I can understand that there is a bit of prepositioning and a bit of jockeying, but I think we should actually wait for the policy mix of all parties in Victoria into the future and we should not get too far ahead of ourselves in relation to speculation.