Wednesday, 9 March 2022

Production of documents

Timber industry

The Deputy Clerk: I lay on the table a letter from the Attorney-General, dated 8 March 2022, in response to the resolution of the Council of 13 October 2021 on the motion of Mr Bourman, and further to the government’s initial response of 1 December 2021, relating to the closure of the Victorian native timber industry. The letter states in part:

Given the breadth of the Legislative Council’s resolution … the date for production of the documents does not allow sufficient time for the Government to respond to the Council’s resolution.

The Government is in the process of identifying and considering the relevant documents for the purpose of responding to the Order. The Government’s initial estimate is that there are approximately 45,000 pages that may fall within the scope of the order, and that it would take up to 2.5 years to collate, consider and obtain advice in relation to the documents. The Government estimates that it would cost approximately $500,000 to prepare the documents for a final response to the Legislative Council.

To avoid the estimated onerous time and expense, the Government invites the Legislative Council to pass a motion to amend or replace the current order with an order seeking documents within the revised categories set out in Attachment A.

The proposed revised categories have been developed having regard to the intention of the order expressed in Legislative Council debate on 13 October 2021, and seek to capture all documents that both substantively underpinned the Government’s decision to close the Victorian Native Timber Industry, and substantively informed the measures outlined in the Victorian Forestry Plan that was announced on 7 November 2019.

The Government estimates that, if the order were revised as proposed, it would take approximately 7 months for the Government to provide its final response at an exceedingly lower cost.

If the Legislative Council is not minded to re-issue the order in the terms the Government proposes, the Government’s intention is to produce documents in response to the original order in tranches over the next 2.5 years at the significant cost estimated.

I note that copies of the Attorney-General’s letter and attachment A are available to members at the table and on the tabled documents database.