The department aims to foster and enable productive, profitable, internationally competitive and sustainable Australian forest and forest products industries.
On 12 September 2018 the Australian Government launched the National Forest Industries Plan (the Plan),
Growing a Better Australia – A Billion Trees for Jobs and Growth.
The Plan outlines the Australian Government’s strategy to underpin growth in the renewable timber and wood-fibre industry.
It provides the vision and certainty needed for Australia’s forestry industry and supports the sustainable forest industries as long-term growth engines for regional Australia.
The plan also supports the forest industries aspirational goal of planting a billion new plantation trees over the next 10 years.
The Australian Government supported the Plan in the 2018-2019 Federal Budget with a $20 million commitment over four years to help implement actions identified in the Plan.
See more information on:
Activities in support of the Plan
Regional Forestry Hubs
On 16 February 2019, the Prime Minister, the Hon. Scott Morrison MP, and Senator the Hon. Richard Colbeck, jointly announced nine sites around Australia to become Regional Forestry Hubs under the Plan.
Five pilot hubs have been announced:
- South West - Western Australia
- Green Triangle – South Australia and Victoria
- North/North West - Tasmania
- North East - New South Wales
- South West Slopes - New South Wales.
Another four Regional Forestry Hubs will follow the pilots:
- Gippsland – Victoria
- Central West - New South Wales
- South East – Queensland
- North – Queensland.
Forestry Education Projects
On 21 March 2019, Senator the Hon. Richard Colbeck
announced $200,000 towards the delivery of two new education initiatives in partnership with FWPA to develop two forestry education activities:
- a new National University Challenge for innovative uses of wood residues or timber products (prizes total up to $100,000); and
- a virtual reality education tool to bolster forestry education in secondary schools, highlighting the renewable cycle of forests.
State of the Forests Report
On 16 February 2019, Senator the Hon. Richard Colbeck, issued a media release announcing the publication of the State of the Forests Report 2018. The State of the Forests report is available for download.
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