Wednesday, 2 August 2023

Adjournment

Commercial firewood industry

Richard RIORDAN (Polwarth) (19:00): (261) I have had my fair share of airtime today, and I will keep going. It is still related to housing. My adjournment this evening is on an action I am seeking from the Minister for Environment. What my community really wants to know is to do with the current government’s plan to cease native hardwood forest logging and operations, which actually occurred in my electorate in the beautiful Otways some nearly 20 years ago now, but we have still been able to maintain a commercial firewood industry, and that industry of course is vital. The action I seek is: will the minister confirm for not only my community but all regional communities who rely very heavily on firewood that their commercial operators will be able to continue beyond 31 December to provide a valuable, essential form of home heating, cooking and other things, which our firewood does?

The firewood industry has been around for a long time, and in fact in my own electorate there are many commercial firewood operators that are multigenerational. They tend to be small family operations. One I visited just recently, where five generations have been on the same coupe in the same area. There are areas of forest that have been set aside now for up to 150 years in some instances, in many parts of country Victoria. Of course up until relatively recent human history we have as a species always relied on firewood to provide heat, warmth, cooking and other things, so it is only natural that in the early formation of the state of Victoria there were many, many areas set aside for well-managed firewood allocations, and these still exist in so many parts of country Victoria today.

They are important resources, and it is really important that in the action that I am seeking from the minister this evening she actually gives it in writing. These people have equipment invested. They have customers who simply will not have time to reinvest in other forms of heating and cooking if the government does not give them adequate time – nor will the people providing them – to find alternatives and make sure next winter they will have a fuel source, because of course you do not magic up a firewood source. It has got to be cut, stored, stacked and dried. There is quite a lead time in providing this essential fuel. So, Minister, it is vital that you come clean for regional Victorians. It is a multimillion-dollar industry. It is a huge amount of energy supplied to homes, and in recent times with the minister deciding not to let people have gas, firewood will be relied upon. If we cannot have firewood, there will be many, many people in regional Victoria left literally high and not so dry next winter.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! Before I call the member for Bass, member for Polwarth, the question was to the Minister for Environment; the action – there was a multiple action –

Richard RIORDAN: To provide in writing to me whether they will be able to continue commercial firewood operations.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Thank you, member for Polwarth. I just want to reiterate what the Speaker was reading this morning, given we are starting the adjournment debate and I have already just had to make myself clear. The Speaker, I believe, said she observes:

… a pattern emerging in adjournment debate matters where members clearly set out the action they seek of a minister but without specifying the problem that needs solving. The purpose of the adjournment debate is to raise matters of public concern and request that a minister take some action to address the issue. I refer all members to Speaker Christie’s and Speaker Andrianopoulos’s rulings about the adjournment debate on page 1 of Rulings from the Chair. The adjournment debate is not an opportunity to give a set speech on a topic. Instead, members should give bring an issue to a minister’s attention and seek the minister’s assistance in resolving it.

Hence my taking the time to make sure we are on the right page.