Gippsland East electorate
Tim BULL (Gippsland East) (14:46): (198) My question is to the Minister for Agriculture in the other place. The information I seek is: what supports will be made available to the businesses and employees outside mill owners, mill workers and harvest and haulage contractors that will be destroyed by the decision to close the native timber industry? For example, we have firewood contractors, seed collectors, electricians who specialise in millwork, diesel mechanics and even the local tyre services. We have trucking companies outside the harvest and haulage contractors who will be impacted. They will be critically hurt by this. The minister needs to ensure that all businesses impacted by her decision, not just the ones directly impacted, are looked after. So the information I seek is: what is going to be put on the table for those businesses outside those directly employed in the timber industry that are seriously impacted nonetheless? What is going to be put in place for them?