Wednesday, 9 March 2022

 Mr BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (12:28): My question is for the minister representing the Minister for Agriculture, Minister Tierney, but it is not about duck shooting today. Plantations are proposed to replace the wild native timber industry, yet we are seeing a push to stop logging in the plantations due to the impact it has on the wildlife which has settled there during the course of its growth. My question is: to enable timber supplies going into the future, will the government commit to allowing plantation timber to always be harvested in Victoria?

 Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria—Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education) (12:28): I thank Mr Bourman for his question. Yes, it does make a little difference in respect to the topic that he raised today, as opposed to the perennial shifting sands between Mr Meddick and Mr Bourman, that being the issue of timber supplies. That matter is a matter for the Minister for Agriculture, and I will refer the matter to Minister Thomas for a response.

 Mr BOURMAN (Eastern Victoria) (12:29): I thank the minister for her answer. No-one wants to unreasonably harm any wildlife in the course of their job, so my supplementary is: should wildlife need to be relocated for plantation timber felling to continue unhindered by activists, will the government commit to funding and providing that service in a reasonable time frame to enable that felling to be carried out?

 Ms TIERNEY (Western Victoria—Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education) (12:29): Thank you for the question, Mr Bourman. It does intrigue me as to where the minister will go in respect of that, because it is full of hypotheticals at the very least. Regardless, I will refer it to the Minister for Agriculture for a response, and I am sure that she will do that accordingly.