The House Standing Committee on Agriculture and Water Resources has launched an inquiry into timber supply chain constraints in the Australian plantation sector.
Australia’s forest products manufacturing sector is worth more than $23 billion per year. Currently, Australian plantations are unable to fully meet the sector’s demand for timber, resulting in more than 900 million cubic metres of sawn softwood being imported each year.
Mr Rick Wilson MP, Chair of the Agriculture and Water Resources Committee, stated that ‘more than 50,000 people are directly employed in the forestry sector in Australia, with the bulk of those working in wood product manufacturing.’
‘It is therefore critical for regional economies across Australia that the timber supply chain is operating effectively. The Committee will be examining domestic softwood producers current and future demand for wood, the ability of the plantation sector to meet this demand, and any constraints in the supply chain reducing the plantation sector’s ability to meet demand’ Mr Wilson said.
The Committee is accepting submissions to the inquiry until Monday, 17 August 2020.
