2016-02-23
Ms DUNN: My question is to the Minister for Agriculture: is the minister prepared or able to confirm if any new contracts have been or will be signed between VicForests and Allied Natural Wood Exports in relation to timber supply from Victoria?
Answer: I think the whole chamber breathes a sigh of relief that we are back to our favourite old topic. President, with your indulgence, I will take the details of this on notice. I am loath to get into any contractual arrangements which may be commercially sensitive in nature, so I will provide an answer to Ms Dunn’s question by tomorrow. Ms DUNN : I thank the minister for her answer. My supplementary question is: now that the forest task force has commenced its work, what actions will the minister take to ensure that any timber supply contract signed post the task force’s commencement does not lock the people of Victoria into future compensation claims? Ms PULFORD: I thank Ms Dunn for her further question, which is much broader than the initial question, which was around a specific contractual arrangement. This is now a question about all contractual arrangements. VicForests manages a great many contracts — it is very much part of what it does — if my memory serves me correctly, dozens and dozens of contracts for different durations and for different supply agreements. Some are quite small and discrete; some are much more significant and longer term. What I would say to Ms Dunn is that the government is supporting the work of the task force. It has set itself an ambitious timetable. I understand the task force members are working very hard to build a consensus on these issues in which Ms Dunn has such an interest.VicForests is playing a very important role in supporting that work, and it will continue to do so. Ms DUNN: My question is to the Minister for Agriculture. Last week the Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water in the other place made comments on ABC radio that ‘the government is disappointed to see that rare and threatened species may have been impacted by
harvesting operations’. She was referring to logging in the Kuark forest, East Gippsland, in a logging coupe where 15 greater gliders were located by citizen scientists. In the same interview VicForests communication manager said, and I quote: "VicForests wouldn’t have found them ourselves in that particular site." He went on to say, and I quote again: "We’re now reviewing our overall approach to targeted preharvest fauna surveys."
Can the minister advise how these comments accordwith her assurances to the house in the last sitting week
that VicForests complies with all of the arrangements that exists to
ensure that our timber industry conducts the work that it does
in a way that is compatible with environmental values. Ms PULFORD: Strict regulations exist to protect the environment and the activities of the timber industry. Species-specific rules already protect many threatened species and other sensitive forest values. VicForests needs to comply with these specific rules and undertakes risk assessments in preharvest surveys to ensure this is the case. VicForests has a culture of ongoing improvement and is very committed to ensuring the protection of our threatened or protected species because it too, I believe, is committed to a sustainable industry going forward, as indeed is the government. Ms DUNN: I thank the minister for her answer. I ask the minister: what are her expectations and how will she ensure VicForests meets
its obligations in its overall approach to prelogging fauna surveys? Ms PULFORD: I thank Ms Dunn for her further question. There are arrangements in place that VicForests complies with. If there is reason to believe these need to be improved, then my experience is that VicForests is always willing to improve them, but the arrangements that exist now to protect threatened species are complied with by VicForests. It is undertaking, as part of its work on a daily basis, important work in support of the Leadbeater’s possum recovery and the protection of the environmental values that Ms Dunn holds so dearly.