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| Fiona Katauskas |
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Saturday 22 October 2022
Friday 21 October 2022
No sign of a break in widespread rain across NSW and road damage toll mounts
The Sydney Morning Herald, 20 October 2022:
Holidaymakers heading into regional NSW over the next few months have been told to brace themselves for longer journeys on more dangerous roads after a year of record rain and flooding.
The severe weather has caused billions of dollars in damage to local roads across the state, bringing regional councils to “their knees” as they struggle with repairs, and heaping pressure on the state government to intervene…..
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the damage to roads across the state posed a safety risk heading into the summer and councils needed more state and federal funding to ensure their roads were safe after the rain.
“The roads are not great, they are littered with potholes and are severely damaged, but also roadworks will be taking place, which means people will need to slow down for those as well,” he said.
“There are safety risks when it comes to roads that are so badly damaged. It is easier to lose control, especially on high-speed roads.
“It’s going to be a challenging period and it’s not going to get better until the rain stops.”
The NRMA roadside assistance team was receiving almost twice as many call-outs for tyre and wheel damage in NSW compared with last year.
NSW Farmers fears the state of regional roads will impede the harvest of this year’s winter crops, due to start in NSW in the next few weeks, because heavy vehicles and machinery will struggle to get to farms and then get the crops to market…...
Local Government NSW said some councils were now spending up to 90 per cent of their capital works budgets on road repairs and this year’s rain had caused $2.5-$3 billion worth of damage to local roads.
It reiterated its call for the state government to act on its 2019 election promise and take over 15,000 kilometres of country roads owned and repaired by councils.
A spokesman said the government’s failure to do so had “heaped more pain on many regional and rural councils, who are financially on their knees due to rising repair costs”.
Almost 80 councils have identified 500 roads they want the state government to reclassify or take over. So far, the government has said it will take on five roads – totalling 391 kilometres – identified in a priority audit, but the transfer of ownership will take time. An independent panel is reviewing the remaining nominations……
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) expects this current bout of rain to continue falling over the Northern Rivers region at least until Thursday 27 October.
BOM advice as of 19 October 2022 was:
Significant rain and thunderstorms are continuing to spread across eastern and south-eastern Australia and will continue into next week.
Rain and thunderstorms with heavy falls over South Australia and Queensland are due to spread into northern and western New South Wales towards the South Australian and New South Wales border on Wednesday night.
Severe thunderstorms are also likely across Queensland and northern New South Wales, with heavy rainfall leading to flash flooding, damaging winds and large hail. Heavy falls across inland South Australia could also lead to flash flooding.
Thursday will see widespread thunderstorms across eastern Queensland, New South Wales, northern Victoria, and far eastern parts of South Australia, with isolated heavy falls.
Inland Queensland and New South Wales are also likely to see some severe thunderstorms with heavy rain, damaging winds and large hail, with giant hail also possible.
Further rainfall in coming days for southern inland Queensland, on and west of the ranges in New South Wales and northern Victoria is likely to lead to widespread moderate to major flooding impacting already flood affected communities.
On Friday and leading into Saturday widespread showers and thunderstorms will continue for eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, as humid and unstable conditions persist across eastern and south-eastern Australia.
Severe thunderstorms are likely across eastern Queensland, New South Wales, and parts of Victoria, bringing more large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall.
Severe thunderstorms are likely across eastern Queensland, New South Wales, and parts of Victoria, bringing more large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall.
Widespread rainfall totals of 25 to 50 mm are likely across South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria this week and into the weekend, with 50 to 100 mm falls possible in southern inland Queensland, on and west of the ranges in New South Wales.
This rain and storm activity will lead to renewed river level rises and widespread moderate to major flooding across southern Queensland, inland New South Wales, and possibly northern Victoria…...
For all the latest warnings see National Warnings Summary.
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Australian Bureau of Meteorology, rain map, issued 7:43am AED Thursday 20 October 2022
Thursday 20 October 2022
How in late 2021 then Prime Minister #ScottyFromMarketing Morrison spent $220,296 his government couldn't afford on a BOM logo change & creating 9 new Twitter handles
In this case Morrison was helped along by his then minister for the environment Sussan Ley, now ensconced as Deputy Leader of the Opposition and probably hoping no-one remembers that the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) was in her ministerial portfolio when this downright silly decision was made.
The Bureau of Meteorology no longer wants to be called "the BoM" pic.twitter.com/C7dhN2e51L
— @MartySilk (@MartySilkHack) October 17, 2022
The Guardian, 19 October 2022:
Revealed: BoM rebranding and logo cost $220,000 as Plibersek shoots down weather bureau’s name change
The environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, has shot down the Bureau of Meteorology’s request for people not to call it “the BoM”, saying Australians should be free to call it whatever they like as the full cost of the rebrand has been revealed.
The BoM rebrand cost more than $220,000, including cash to update the organisation’s visual style and logo, conduct research, develop pull-up banners and support media engagement.
“My focus and the focus of the BoM should be on weather, not branding,” Plibersek said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the agency formerly known as the BoM asked media organisations to only refer to it by its full name, or shorthand as “the Bureau” – not the widely used initialism BoM. The media-wide alert sparked derision online after it was discovered that the Bureau appeared to have failed to reserve the Twitter accounts it had announced it planned to move to.
The letters BOM seen over a satellite view outline of Australia
Guardian Australia understands the change, detailed in an email bearing a new bureau logo, was part of a wider rebrand that commenced under the previous Coalition government and had been under way for some 18 months.
It was reported yesterday that a $69,300 contract had been awarded in September 2021 to Melbourne’s C Word Communications Agency for “branding of product naming services” and “brand implementation”.
The full cost of the rebranding exercise was $220,296.
Plibersek’s office said The C Word’s contract covered “communication and implementation planning support”. Another $118,177 was awarded to another agency, Era-Co, for brand strategy and design services, including visual style, brand position and logo, as well as research.
Another $32,819 was spent on “implementation costs” for the rebrand, including development of pull-up banners to support community engagement and media engagement for each state and territory, as well as design support to update collateral, systems and tools.
Era-Co was granted a $50,000 contract for “brand framework” for the Bureau of Meteorology, according to a notice published on the AusTender website in September 2020; then another $80,000 contract for “visual identity development”, according to a notice published in December 2020; and $17,820 for “design services”, in a notice published in August 2021.
The C Word’s $69,3000 contract for “brand implementation” was published September 2021.
“I have asked for the information about the full cost of the whole rebrand project, which was undertaken under the previous government,” Plibersek said.
“I’ve released that publicly. Now it’s time to let the Bureau of Meteorology get on with what it does best – predict the weather to help keep Australians safe.”
The environment minister said on Tuesday she did not “quite understand” why the bureau commenced a rebrand to update its name and logo, saying she was not focused on those factors during the severe flooding across much of the eastern seaboard. On Wednesday she appeared to rebuff the bureau’s calls to be referred to by another name.
“The Bureau of Meteorology, the BoM – Australians will make up their own minds about what they call it,” Plibersek said.
“What matters is accurate and timely weather information for communities, particularly during severe weather like we’re experiencing right now. That’s where my focus is. People are hurting.”…...
Several new Twitter handles proposed by the bureau, including @TheBureau_NSW and @TheBureau_AU, were quickly snapped up by ordinary users on Tuesday. A Bureau spokesperson said on Tuesday it was “working closely with Twitter to rectify this, in the meantime, all existing BOM Twitter handles remain active”.
By Wednesday, all those accounts were either suspended or free to use, having been vacated by the users who had parked on those handles…... [my yellow highlighting]
The Guardian, 18 October 2022:
The name change – which has been broadly ridiculed, and criticised for its rollout as many Australians face devastating floods – was, in part, driven by Jack Walden, according to insiders. Walden appears to have won the contract for the consultancy company, and been hired by the Bureau shortly afterwards.
In September 2021, the Bureau awarded a $69,300 contract to the C Word Communications Agency for “branding of product naming services and “brand implementation”.
C Word’s “chief communicator” until December 2021 was Jack Walden.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Walden started as senior manager, communications delivery at the Bureau in November 2021. The crossover in his employment dates has not been explained.
Guardian Australia understands the rebrand was broadly unpopular among existing staff, but that the Bureau insisted that not only it be implemented, but that staff only use the new terms.
One insider said they were made to use the new term, and another said they were treated “like naughty schoolchildren” if they slipped up and referred to the BoM instead.
Plibersek told Guardian Australia that “during this time of severe weather and flood disaster, I’m not focused on the name of the agency”.
“I am focused on making sure the Bureau of Meteorology is providing the most accurate and timely information to communities affected by floods,” she said.
“The rebrand commenced under the previous government for reasons I don’t quite understand.”……
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Absolute rookie mistake by the Bureau of Meteorology to announce what they were changing their Twitter handle to BEFORE they actually did it 😆 pic.twitter.com/O6kqpg2D6v
— Keelan (@I_am_da_BOM) October 18, 2022
@BOM_au Acronyms I frequently use when discussing serious issues on limited letter count Twitter : AM, PM, GMT, AEDT, NSW, ABC, SBS, CSIRO, EPA, AMA, ICAC, AFP, PMC, MP, NASA, UN, and of course BOM. Get used to it, Dr. Johnson! Your new Twitter handle will be 6 spaces too long.
— no_filter_Yamba (@no_filter_Yamba) October 19, 2022
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By late afternoon on Thursday 20 October 2022, the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) had walked back on its rebranding demands.
The Sydney Morning Herald, 4:05 pm:
The Bureau of Meteorology has backed down on its planned rebranding, saying people can still refer to the weather agency as “the BoM” – or anything else they like.
The backflip follows the BoM’s announcement on Tuesday that it wanted media agencies to refer to it as “the Bureau” or its full name rather than “BoM”.....
following the subsequent public outcry and ridicule over the mooted move, the organisation said it would now stick with the BoM moniker.
“The community is welcome to refer to the Bureau in any way they wish, including referring to us as the BoM,” the spokesperson said.
Wednesday 19 October 2022
Community Consultation phase of Australian Governet-funded CSIRO Northern Rivers Initiate has begun for October-November 2022. Concerned residents need to register now
CSIRO, Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative:
The National Emergency Management Agency has engaged CSIRO to undertake a project to understand flood risk factors in the Northern Rivers region of NSW and identify flood mitigation options.
The Australian Government is providing $150 million in 2022–23 for priority flood resilience projects in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales.
The Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative will provide science to inform the investment, through a process to understand the drivers behind the unprecedented flood event in February-March 2022 and develop community-supported solutions for resilience investment.
The has engaged Australia’s national science agency CSIRO to support the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative, which will consider climate, catchment and hydrological systems, and the broader influences of land-use practice and infrastructure.
This $11.2 million Initiative will enable us to assess different mitigation scenarios, consider the broader influences mentioned above, such as land use, and identify and prioritise options for mitigating flood risks in the Northern Rivers region. A core part of the project is to undertake engagement with key stakeholders to seek their views regarding priorities for investment.
This map identifies the flood-effected Local Government Areas in the Northern Rivers region of NSW where the project will be carried out. Places such as Lismore, Ballina and Grafton are shown
The project consists of two key parts:
1. Rapid review and assessment – Over the first six months, previous studies will be reviewed to identify flood mitigation options across the Northern Rivers region. Each of the seven flood-affected Local Government Areas in the region, Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed, will be consulted to identify and prioritise the most effective intervention options.
Outcome – This work, due in December 2022, will inform investment in the Northern Rivers region in 2022–23, to support recovery and resilience efforts.
2. Detailed modelling – This two-year program of work will collate and generate Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to provide spatial analysis and hydrological/ hydrodynamic modelling of water movement for the Northern Rivers region. It will also involve examining and evaluating possible events or scenarios that could take place in the future, drawing on local knowledge and expertise on the catchment and flooding.
Outcome – In addition to capturing LiDAR data for modelling and analysis of the entire Northern Rivers region, this work will deliver a detailed hydrodynamic model for the Richmond River catchment. The model will be used to investigate a range of possible scenarios and actions to mitigate flood risk in the Richmond River catchment. The final report for this work is due in May 2024.
Community and stakeholder engagement
From July to October 2022 – Engagement with stakeholders will take place by the CSIRO team in the flood affected area. To view the time-line of activity read our factsheet Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative PDF (351 KB)
CSIRO is working closely with Alluvium Consulting, an environmental consultancy, and their local staff, along with NEMA Recovery Support Officers based in the region for the rapid review and assessment over the first six months. Meetings and workshops with local councils and community groups will discuss existing available information, identify other relevant materials on flood risk, and seek community views to inform the research.
To take part in the community workshops register on the links below:
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Sessions are open
All sessions are open for you to drop in any time between 11.00 am to 6.00 pm
Workshop Date Registration
Goonellabah Community Centre, Goonellabah Monday 17 October Register here
Lismore Workers Sports Club, Lismore Tuesday 18 October Register here
Wardell Catholic Church Hall, Wardell Wednesday 19 October Register here
Ballina Jockey Club, Ballina Thursday 20 October Register here
Woodburn Memorial Hall, Woodburn Monday 24 October Register here
Casino Community & Cultural Centre, Casino Monday 24 October Register here
Coraki Golf Club Tuesday 25 October Register here
Maclean Bowls Club, Maclean Wednesday 26 October Register here
If you are a community member and cannot attend a workshop but would still like to participate, you can fill in our online Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative questionnaire
To contact workshop organisers email nrri@csiro.au
Full announcement here.
So, you are looking to buy a house or land in Yamba on the Clarence Coast in NSW?
A recent local newspaper article of 12 October 2022 stated that Clarence Valley Council would not release the results of a circa 2014 floor level survey of an unstated number of Yamba homes.
This survey was apparently undertaken to assess flood risk vulnerability against potential flood height modelling for Yamba township and environs.
The reason Council gave for withholding this information appears to be; “Premature release of the floor level data might (for instance) result in one or more sales falling through without the statutory immunity of Council being assured.”
By Census Night in August 2021 there were 4,073 residential dwellings recorded for a Yamba population of 6,376 people.
It is possible that conservatively between 30% to 53% of this housing stock is vulnerable to varying degrees during heavy rainfall associated with adverse weather events and Lower Clarence River flooding. A smaller percentage of Yamba dwellings above flood height on Pilot Hill and environs may be still be at risk - from land slippage during prolonged heavy rain and high seas.
Now according to propertyvalue.com.au there have been 142 houses sold in Yamba and environs in the last twelve months with a median price of $925,000.
Looking at online real estate sites there are also a number of dwellings in the town currently for sale – ranging from modest houses on manufactured relocatable housing estates through to 3-4 bedroom brick family homes and onto million dollar plus residences of up to 5 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms with all the mod cons.
There’s no easy way to establish floor levels in Yamba just by viewing real estate websites or looking at documents currently publicly available on Council’s own website. The only historic information publicly available ‘guesses’ dwelling floor heights in many of the town’s streets based on the surveyed height of the adjacent road surface.
An estimation method which clearly had its drawbacks in March 2022 when this overview of a section of Yamba Road was taken.
Embed from Getty Images
If Clarence Valley Council is determined to cloak in secrecy a more accurate extant list of floor heights, perhaps it’s time that the Yamba community began to help people who want to move here make informed choices before committing themselves to a mortgage or spending their hard-earned retirement savings?
Remembering that the Lower Clarence River estuary has flooded on average every three years since the 1990s, looking at Google Earth as well as basic digital flood modelling that Clarence Valley Council has available online and, then sampling from the over 50 dwellings currently advertised for sale for an example of each of the three aforementioned housing types:
that sweet little 3 bedroom home in one of Yamba’s manufactured home estates is probably only est. 4m above mean sea level and, if its floor level doesn’t turn out to be at least 2.84m AHD then there is a statistical 1 in 100 chance in any given year that it will have stormwater and/or floodwater running across the bedroom carpeting;
the 4 bedroom brick home with a tidy garden is probably est. 4m above mean sea level but if its floor level isn’t high enough then there is a statistical 1 in 50 chance in any given year that flood water will enter the property and threaten the house. There is also a 1 in 100 chance in any given year that with a floor below or even at 2.84m AHD the river will come knocking at the door and take possession of the house for as many days as it pleases;
when it comes to one of those houses with the million dollar plus price tag, well it is an est. 3-4m above mean sea level. However if its floor level falls short of 2.84m AHD then it may be uncomfortable to live in as there is a statistical 1 in 50 chance in any given year that flood water will enter the property but possibly not the house. However, there is also a 1 in 100 chance in any given year that storm water and/or flood water will enter the property and threaten the ground floor areas of this house.
Needless to say all three example residences are highly likely to be inundated during an extreme flood event given that modelled flood water heights would reach above the ceiling of the average single storey house design and above ceiling level on the ground floor of the average two-story design.
I rather suspect that Council is not voluntarily offering up that information to prospective home buyers, unless they happen to ask a precisely framed question in writing over the signature of their solicitor and perhaps not even then – given how many hundreds of land or house & land packages property developers are hoping to sell over the next five to twenty-five years in Yamba and how attractive future increases in rate income are to local government.
Although quite frankly with Australia’s climate already having warmed on average by 1.44 ± 0.24 °C since national records began in 1910 [Dept. Planning and Environment, AdaptNSW 2022] and the possibility being canvassed that the world and Australia will reach long-term 1.5°C warming as early as the 2030s, Clarence Valley Council has more to worry about than riverine flooding.
In a worst case scenario due to the expected increase in sea-level rise this warming will bring, a significant amount of land within Yamba town precincts will be begin to go under water at high tide in another 8-17 years time.
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| Climate Central Inc. interactive mapping Sea-level rise at 1.5°C global warming Click on image to enlarge |
Tuesday 18 October 2022
Yet another petition to the NSW Parliament was debated last week - resulting in yet another petition to parliament being casually dismissed by the Perrottet Coalition Government
Petitions
NATIVE FOREST LOGGING
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The House will now consider the electronic petition signed by 20,000 or more
persons that is listed on the Business Paper. It is about native forest logging and was lodged by the member for South Coast. Before I call the member for South Coast, I again welcome to the public gallery and the Cooper Gallery those who have joined us for the debate. I am aware that there are strongly held views on the matter we are about to discuss. Parliamentary debate allows that those with opposing views are able to express them freely without interference. I therefore ask that those in the gallery refrain from clapping or distracting debate in any way, including verbally or visually.
The question is that the House take note of the petition.
[NSW Parliament, Legislative Assembly, Hansard, 13 October 2022]
The Echo, 14 October 2022:
Yesterday in Sydney the public gallery in the NSW lower house of parliament was packed with citizens hoping to hear their representatives support the community’s calls for an end to the logging of our public native forests.
The debate was forced by the success of a petition with over 21,000 signatures that calls for a rapid transition out of logging our native forests.
Tens of thousands of people
Greens spokesperson for the environment and agriculture Sue Higginson MLC said that tens of thousands of people from across the state have come together to call for an end to public native forest logging. ‘The time has come and the case has been made that our public forests are worth more to us standing.
‘The government has made no plans to transition out of this destructive industry and into sustainable plantations in the full knowledge that communities and workers will be left behind by their policies.’
Ms Higginson said that much public native forest estate has been impacted by drought, fires and floods. ‘We need to change our perception of native forests to recognise them as a vitally important line of defence against both the climate and the extinction crisis, but this senseless government is determined to destroy them.
The petition
The parliamentary petition calls on the NSW parliament to:
Transition NSW’s native forestry industry towards sustainable plantations by 2024.
Immediately place a moratorium on public native forest logging until the regulatory framework is introduced.
Urgently protect high-conservation value forests through gazettal in the National Parks estate.
And ban biomass fuel, made from native forest timber.
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| North East Forests campaigner Sean O’Shannessy. Photo supplied. |
‘The
response to the petition from the Minister for Agriculture Dugald
Saunders was bitterly disappointing.
Tens of thousands of people are
calling for our forests to be protected and the minister has
completely dismissed what’s best for communities and the
environment,’ said Ms Higginson…..
‘Clarence MP Chris Gulaptis heckled his Liberal Party colleague Shelly Hancock as she introduced and spoke for the petition on behalf of her constituents.’
Mr O’Shannessy said the is a rapidly dawning realisation among all rational participants in the public discussion of the future management of native forests, that logging is not going have a place there.
‘Sustainable plantations will supply our timber needs and our forests will be protected in properly managed reserves. We can not afford to keep subsidising the destruction of our carbon sinks, water catchments and koalas homes,’ said Mr O’Shannessy.
The Government’s idea of ‘sustainable’
Ms Higginson said that the Government claims that sustainable native forest management includes cutting down critical habitat for threatened species, including koala habitat, clear felling areas of our forests and cutting down hollow-bearing trees which are essential for the survival of forest-dependent threatened species like gliders, owls and bats.
‘Bizarrely, the Government claims that cutting down our forests is good for the climate crisis in complete contradiction to scientific consensus. Old trees sequester more carbon than young trees, which on its own should be enough for us to be doing everything we can to protect them.
‘The end of public native forest logging is inevitable and we are so close to finally seeing the transition out of this industrial scale destruction.
‘Parliament could do this tomorrow if the government would stop blocking this important reform and develop a plan that delivers economic security for communities and protects our precious forests,’ said Ms Higginson.
For interested North Coast Voices readers the 39 minute ‘take note’ debate of this petition can be found at:
https://api.parliament.nsw.gov.au/api/hansard/search/daily/pdf/HANSARD-1323879322-128218. Commencing at Page 58.
Below are some debate excerpts and it should be noted that all misconceptions, misinformation, unfounded beliefs and downright political lies voiced are actually found in remarks made by the Nationals MLA for Dubbo and Minister for Agriculture & Minister for Western New South Wales Dugald Saunders, as well as in remarks by Nationals MLA for Clarence Chris Gulaptis who retires from parliament at the March 2023 state election. Yellow highlights of some of the largest whoppers are my own.
Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS (Clarence) (16:12): I speak in response to the petition tabled by the member for South Coast. I acknowledge the petitioners in the gallery for their efforts in obtaining 20,000 signatures, because it is an effort. I know that and I understand why they are present today. But I am really disappointed with the contribution by the member for Ballina, because it is misleading. One of the problems when we talk about native forestry in this country, and in this State in particular, is that a lot of the proposals that have been raised are based on a range of misconceptions, misinformation and unfounded beliefs.
When it comes to which side of the House manages forests better, this side manages forests better. That was shown when Bob Carr declared State forests national parks back in the eighties, because they were managed so well by what is now ForestCorp. They are managed well. It is like your garden: You cannot let your garden be overgrown with weeds; you have to manage it. Unfortunately, that is what the problem is. We let our national parks overgrow and when the bushfires came through, five billion native species were killed in 7.2 million hectares of national park. That is what happens in a national park when they do not have the resources to manage it.
Mr Jamie Parker: You're in government. Why don't you manage it?
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS: Because the resources would have to come out of Health or Education.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Balmain will come to order.
Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS: They would come out of Health or Education. The forests are managed in a responsible way, and we see that. Do we want native timbers from Borneo and attack the—
Mr Jamie Parker: We're about plantations.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order! The member for Clarence will direct his comments through the Chair.
Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS: We have plantation timbers and we also have native forests. The reason the forests were created in the first instance was to provide a resource for the inhabitants to build their houses and to construct this city. Parliament House is constructed from timber from our forests. That was the whole purpose of them, and still is. We want affordable housing, but where is the construction material going to come from? Members opposite talk about affordable housing, but how will it be provided if we do not cut down trees? Forestry Corporation plants four million seedlings every year to replace the trees it cuts. If that is not carbon sequestration, what is? It is a joke when members do not look at the evidence and the facts.
Mr Jamie Parker: We have looked at the evidence, mate, don't worry.
Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS: Yes, look at the evidence. Five billion native species were killed in a hot fire because those national parks did not have the resources to be managed effectively.
Mr Jamie Parker: Well, give them the resources. You're in the Government.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: Order!
Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS: Yes, and we will take them from Education and Health, because that is what you are saying.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: The member for Clarence will direct his comments through the Chair.
Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS: Yes, I will. The fact of the matter is that the Government's resources are finite; they are not unlimited. We cannot use a credit card and spend wherever we want to. State forests are managed effectively. They produce revenue that goes back into managing the forests and looking after feral animals and noxious weeds. Where is that revenue going to come from?
Mr Jamie Parker: It makes a loss.
Mr CHRISTOPHER GULAPTIS: Do our national parks make a profit? No, they do not. Of course they do not. Native forestry is heavily regulated to ensure that there is long-term ecological sustainability, and robust science consistently demonstrates that those regulations are effective. The proposal to create public native forests would have substantial negative impacts on the State's economy and finances. We must remember that the forestry sector is worth around $2.8 billion. It directly supports almost 20,000 jobs, 40 per cent of which are in regional New South Wales. I call on the Labor Party and members opposite to stop vilifying the timber industry and support the productive and sustainable approach that the Coalition Government has put in place to manage this incredible resource that has been used as a building material since Jesus was a boy. It is a terrific sustainable product, so why do they vilify it?
Ms JANELLE SAFFIN (Lismore) (16:18): I make a contribution to debate on the petition, which has some 21,000 signatures. I take umbrage at what the member for Clarence said. I am not vilifying the industry, but I want to be part of the debate because I have been involved in it in my area for some 40 years. The issue has been so divisive so many times, so we must resolve it in such a way that we get a sustainable industry. That is the objective that most people are going for. That is the objective of the people who signed this petition. Somehow we have got to get there. I understand that it is important. So many people in the Lismore electorate and beyond are passionate about this issue.
My electorate has huge environmental movements, including the North East Forest Alliance, whose members are here today. The Nature Conservation Council was also here this week. Local constituents have written to me in support of the petition. Local forestry and timber industry workers, as well as the unions, have also spoken to me about the petition. I understand the passion and the emotion in it. As I said, I have lived it for a long time. From what is happening in my area and on the South Coast—based on what I heard from the member for South Coast—and what I have heard in this debate, I can say that we are at the vortex of the issue. At the heart of it is the desire to have our forests protected from fire, flood and pestilence, and to have habitats for animals and rare plants that are free of weeds and predators, or at least minimally affected.
We all want a sustainable logging industry, wherever it takes place. I have recently read that under Premier McGowan—and I would hardly call him a radical Premier of any kind—Western Australia is moving to end native forestry logging. I note that Victoria is doing the same under its more progressive Premier Andrews. Those desires and objectives speak to management, and that has been the problem that I have seen for so many years.
We know that before European colonisation the forests, which were extensive, were managed. Of course, Indigenous nations practised cultural burning, which, thank goodness, so many are embracing now because they see the value in it. One thing that the member for South Coast said that really struck me was that this petition was a message to the Government and all members that we must take heed, and we certainly do.
I draw the attention of the House to the Legislative Council inquiry into the long-term sustainability and future of the timber and forest products industry. I read the report only recently.….
The committee's findings and recommendations are telling about the state of the industry and what is going on under Forestry Corporation. There were 11 findings, and I draw attention to finding 2, 3 and 5. Finding 2 states:
In the last decade, there has been no increase in additional hardwood and softwood timber plantations.
Finding 3 states:
The lack of expansion of timber plantations by the NSW Government has significantly contributed to the current timber crisis which has only been further exacerbated by recent events, including the 2019/20 bushfires.
We heard about those from the member for South Coast. Finding 5 states:
The reduction in harvestable areas of public native forests and failure to expand native hardwood plantations has resulted in the loss of wood supply …..
Recommendation 1 states:
That the NSW Government identify and implement as a priority a long term funded strategy for the expansion of both softwood and hardwood timber plantations in New South Wales.
We can all agree that has to happen. Recommendation 2 states:
That the NSW Government establish further state-owned timber plantations
Recommendation 4 states:
That the NSW Government provide long term support to workers in the timber and forest products industry transitioning away from native forestry to other parts of the sector with access to worker transition services, training and retraining support, relocation support, and counselling.
They are some of the results from the inquiry.
Mr DUGALD SAUNDERS(Dubbo—Minister for Agriculture, and Minister for Western New South Wales) (16:33): I thank the member for South Coast for tabling this petition. I have listened to the debate with great interest. I will clarify a few misconceptions. First, logging does not occur in State forests; selective harvesting occurs in State forests. The Environment Protection Authority is in charge of activating the regulations around that, and it does so regularly. The sawlog part of a tree is not used for biomass production; it is the roots, the bark and the other parts that cannot be used for anything apart from chipping, burning or pulping. It is about turning that waste into energy rather than leaving it to become a bushfire concern. That is the point.
As far as State forests, as the member for Oxley mentioned, only a tiny percentage of State forests are used for timber harvesting. We are talking about 1 per cent of the State forest that is harvested—that is, about 0.1 per cent of the broader forested landscape. It is a tiny amount, it is a managed amount, and it is not done in a way with disregard for the environment. That is the point.
Ever since I have been the Minister in this space, I have said that I hold Forestry Corporation to the highest level of compliance. That is absolutely what we need to do. On this side of the House, we all agree that there is no room for things to be done incorrectly. But to suggest that timber and State forests do not work hand in hand and do not support communities is just incorrect. It is also worth mentioning that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recognises that managing forests for sustainable timber production is one of the best ways to mitigate climate change. Removing trees, allowing more sunshine through the canopy and growing new trees actually sequesters great amounts of carbon, and we have a fantastic renewable, organic and regenerative resource that we love as humans.
State forests also support things like native-based tourism. State forests are already doing that. We are expanding the mountain biking, the horseriding, the picnicking and the walking trails. They are all managed because we have State forests that are managed to support those activities. I am interested to see what Labor does around forests as a policy matter, because we have complete support from a number of workers up and down the coast and inland who are saying they want support for native forestry. On this side of the House, we absolutely provide that support. It is worth $2.8 billion and thousands of jobs. We have their back, but we also appreciate the petition.
The DEPUTY SPEAKER: I thank the guests in the public gallery, who were visiting today to listen to the debate. I also extend thanks to those members of the public who have been listening online.
Petition noted.
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