Thursday, 2 May 2024

Timber industry

Wayne FARNHAM (Narracan) (09:56): Coming into winter, we know that since the shutdown of native timber logging there are going to be people in regional Victoria that will probably have a shortage of firewood. I do have a solution to this; I have a very good solution to this. The other day a book landed in my office by the so-called respected Professor David Lindenmayer. I would encourage everyone in regional Victoria to go out, buy the book and burn it, because that is about where it belongs. I am going to give a copy of it to the former member for Narracan so he can burn it as well.

On the continuation of The Forest Wars, which is the title of that book, I was recently at a community event at Willow Grove. The residents of Willow Grove are getting extremely nervous because Southern Rural Water are planning to plant 500 acres of trees. This community were very, very nervous in the 2009 Black Saturday fires. The only thing that stops bushfires reaching Willow Grove is Blue Rock Dam, and 500 acres of trees will put that community at risk. Here in the chamber I ask Southern Rural Water to re-evaluate that and put community above carbon. There are certain places where you have to put the community first.