Tuesday, 3 March 2020

Native forest logging

Ms SANDELL (Melbourne) (19:13): (1956) My adjournment today is to the Minister for Agriculture, and it is about what is happening with logging right now in fire-affected parts of Victoria. I have received some very concerning reports from local community members in East Gippsland who are concerned that the logging industry may be using the summer’s fires as an opportunity to log significant numbers of trees without the transparency, the scrutiny or the regulation that would otherwise exist around logging in this state. The action that I seek is for the minister to give me a comprehensive update outlining what timber collection the government is allowing in East Gippsland following the fires. In particular I would like this update to include, firstly, what is happening along roads and tracks in the name of safety and, secondly, what is happening in areas that were burnt in the fires or areas that were actively managed, such as areas that were bulldozed for firebreaks.

Regarding clearing along roads and tracks, earlier this year I attended a briefing with the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning where I was advised that they were about to start a process of removing dangerous trees along roadsides following the fires. Of course we do support the removal of dangerous trees and making our roads safe again. However, I have received concerning reports from residents on the ground in East Gippsland and have also seen images that indicate excessive numbers of trees might be being removed, including in unburnt areas and including in the Errinundra National Park. These reports suggest that safety works are potentially being exploited by industry, with very little oversight and little regulation.

Secondly, I would love the minister to explain what is happening in areas that were actively managed or burnt during the bushfires. An article in The Conversation this week reported that VicForests has been going into areas that were burnt and removing trees that were pushed over or cut down by the army, firefighters or road crews. Has the minister approved this activity? We would like to know. And again, how is this regulated? What controls and regulations are around it to protect threatened species and make sure our wildlife and habitat recover from the fires, which is what Victorians want for our environment? And will the loggers be allowed access to more areas of forest that burnt in the bushfires? The scientific research about post-fire logging is very clear—

Mr Blackwood interjected.

Ms SANDELL: The science is very clear. It is an absolute ecological disaster.

Mr Blackwood interjected.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for Melbourne, without assistance.

Ms SANDELL: It is terrible for wildlife already struggling after fires, it removes essential remaining habitat and food and it further disturbs the environment. It is a disaster for the long-term recovery of landscapes. The science backs this up—20-plus years of science we have on this. Bringing logging machinery into already damaged forests causes additional erosion and damage to waterways, it compacts soil and it stops new trees and understorey from growing. Now, look, it is a complex area.

Mr Blackwood interjected.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for Narracan!

Ms SANDELL: But we cannot allow burnt areas to be pillaged for profit, and it is clear the transition needs to be brought forward. (Time expired)