PRIME MINISTER 113/ 94
STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
WOODCHIP EXPORTS
I am pleased to announce that the Government is to implement a firm
program under which Australia's native forests will be properly protected and
preserved. Under the program, the amount of woodchips exported from native forests not
covered by Regional Forest Agreements will be reduced by about 20 per cent
per year to nil in the Year 2000.
The decisions I am announcing today are calculated to meet our obligations
to the environment and at the same time, protect the interests of communities
which presently depend on forest industries.
For 1996, the maximum permissible level for export will be 5 million tonnes,
about one million tonnes less than 1995. In 1997, the figure will be around 4
million tonnes and declining, except where the conditions outlined in this
statement are met in respect of Regional Forest Agreements and domestic
downstream processing.
By the year 2000 the Government will ban the export of woodchips from those
areas of Australia's native forests which are not covered by Regional Forest
Agreements incorporating a reserve system that comprehensively represents
all forest types.
The decisions taken by the Minister for Resources in relation to the 1995
woodchip licences are legally binding and irrevocable. But the conditions
in the licences which protect the environment those relating to the national
estate and endangered species, for example will be rigorously enforced.
Importantly, the Government is considering rescheduling existing logging
operations in some situations to protect environmental values and broaden
the options for future reservation of forests.
2
The Tasmanian proposal referred to the Minister for Environment, Sport and
Territories for environmental impact assessment for the export of up to
700,000 tonnes is not included in, and will not be added to, the base figure
for 1995
Export woodchip licences in future will only be granted in relation to areas
where there has been significant progress towards, or the completion of, both
a Regional Forest Agreement ( RFA), as required under the National Forest
Policy Statement ( NFPS), and the establishment of a comprehensive,
adequate and representative reserve system. The Regional Forest
Agreement will include appropriate environmental protection measures to
ensure ecologically sustainable development. In these areas companies
which increase their domestic downstream processing capacity, or have a
demonstrable commitment to doing so, will have this taken into account when
the Government is determining export licence quotas from 1996 2000.
Under the current policy, the Commonwealth is required to be invited by a
State or Territory Government to participate in an RFA. However, in the two
years since the NFPS was finalised, no formal requests have been received
by the Commonwealth and so no agreements have been reached.
A strict timetable will now be developed for each Regional Forest Agreement.
These agreements will be developed on the basis of scientific and technical
assessments of the values of all forests, particularly old growth and
wilderness. The Government is aware of the possible regional economic and social
effects of these measures, and will consider helping industry make the
transition to greater use and development of plantation and re-growth
timbers. The woodchip export phase-out will not apply to plantations.
These policies represent a significant step towards a sustainable forest
products industry by the end of the century. That industry will operate within
a framework of agreements which protect environmental values and at the
same time maintains an active value-added wood products industry.
The Government is to alter the process for considering the terms, conditions
and size of woodchip exports. In future, the process for advising the Minister
for Resources will be coordinated by the Department of the Prime Minister
and Cabinet. The Minister for Resources will formally consult me before
making his decision.
Reaching the Government's goal on woodchip exports will require an orderly
transitional process. The Government recognises that all parties must be
provided with incentives to work together.
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The Government will also consider measures to improve administrative
arrangements available to the Commonwealth to undertake Regional Forest
Agreements. Today's announcements move us significantly closer to a regime under which
Australia's native forests will be. protected forever; and it should leave us in
no doubt that with goodwill on all sides we will take the final steps by the year
2000. CANBERRA 22 DECEMBER 1994