PM Transcripts

FOR MEDIA 27 April 1983
The Commonwealth Government has provided South Australia with
& n interest free $ 11 million loan for three years to enable
the salvage of some of the timber burnt in the disastrous
February bushfires.
Trhe bushfires destroyed 19,000 hectares of pine plantations
containing a substantial proportion of the State's supply
of prime saw logs.
This; meant that the long-term supply of timb~ er to spwmills
would be drastically reduced.
The South Australian Government has estimated that it would
take 15 year4 to get log uupplies back to pre-fire levels.
To help alleviate the impact on employment in the timber
industry South Australia proposes to harvest as much as
possible to the better quality fire-damaged logs.
These are to be stored under water and progressively released
to mills to help maintain normal production over the next
three or four years.
it is essential for the logs to be harvested quickly and
Gtored in water to avoid insect and fungal attack which would
downgrade and ultimately cause the fire damaged timber to be
useless.
The Commonwealth Government appreciates the devastating impact
which this unprecedented fire will continue to have on the
State's timber industry.
we have therefore decided to accede to South Australia's
request to provide loan money to assist in meeting the
very large abnormal costs of the proposed salvage operation.
The salvage and storage will serve two purposes.
It will help to defer loss of employment in the timber industry
as a result of the fires.
The controlled release of logs from storage will also avoid
disruption of the national market whi~ h might ensue if log
salvage was accompanied by an uncontrolled millingj programt.
The South Australian Government has given an assurance that there
wil~ l be no extraordinary release of sawn timber onto the market
in such a way as to cause disruption.