The death of Australia’s native forest industry has been greatly exaggerated, according to Michael O’Connor, National Secretary of the Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union (TFTU) — Australia’s only union dedicated to timber workers.
O’Connor, who also serves on the board of Responsible Wood – Australia’s largest forest certification scheme, said the Greens, opposition MPs and some industry associations are “way off the mark” in claiming that new environmental laws will spell the end for native forestry.
“The Greens are way off the mark by claiming this is the death of native forestry,” he said, adding that the union fully expects the industry’s environmental management system to stack up when assessed against the new standards.
He cautioned that “some Liberal and National Party MPs and industry bodies should be cautious about mimicking Green talking points,” and stressed that “our union expects the sector to do well if the new standards are sensible and applied in a reasonable, evidence-based way — which we’ll be pushing for.”
Under the reforms, environmental assessments of forestry operations — currently managed through the Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) framework — will shift to an alternative accreditation pathway aligned with the yet-to-be-finalised National Environmental Standards.
“Our call is simple,” O’Connor said. “The finalisation of the standards — and the assessment of operations against them — must ensure ongoing active and sustainable forest management, support sustainable development in timber communities, and deliver a stronger future for the workers who manage these forests and those whose livelihoods they sustain.”
The union believes any structural impacts from the new standards are unlikely to exceed existing supply pressures, including reductions linked to the Great Koala National Park in New South Wales and the long-forecast 50 per cent decline in native forest sawlog volumes from Sustainable Timber Tasmania from 2027.
At the same time, O’Connor welcomed the establishment of the Forestry Industry Growth Fund, which will provide concessional finance for retooling, workforce training, safety upgrades and productivity improvements. He also praised the recognition of forestry, timber and wood products manufacturing as a Priority Industry under the Future Made in Australia National Interest Framework — alongside hydrogen, critical minerals and green metals.
“These are practical steps the Australian Government is taking to address policy settings and market disruptions affecting supply and profitability,” he said. “Our union will continue working with the Australian and State Governments, and good, willing and capable employers, to overcome challenges and seize opportunities so that existing timber jobs are protected — and new, well-paid and secure jobs are created.”
It comes after Wood Central revealed that forestry was included in an eleventh-hour deal between Labor and the Greens, allowing a 26-year update to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act to pass Federal Parliament days before the summer recess. Under the deal, Australia’s 10 RFAs — covering Eden, Upper and Lower East NSW; five regions in Victoria; all of Tasmania; and WA’s southwest — along with agricultural land clearing, will be brought under the EPBC Act from July 2027.
Jack Rodden-Green, a legal expert on these matters, warned that the bill could have far-reaching consequences. “This bill could have enormous implications for not only public native forestry, but potentially all types of land-based activities,” he said. “RFAs cover all types of forests — including native and plantation forests. It is essentially a bilateral agreement whereby the Montreal process, modified by the RFA Act and EPBC, applies to state land.”
