10 December 2010
The Australian forest industry has welcomed a Gillard government decision to introduce legislation restricting the import and sale of illegally logged timber. “We are pleased that the government is committed to acting on this important issue. Illegal logging is one factor undermining investment in plantations, wood and paper manufacturing and job creation in Australia,” said A3P CEO Richard Stanton.
“We are also gratified the government has listened to and supported our view that the new rules should apply to all timber products including sawn timber, wood panels, pulp, paper, wooden furniture and composite products."Today’s announcement is a positive step forward. However, the detail of how the legislation will operate will be fundamental to its success."
The decision was announced by Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Senator Joe Ludwig, who said the new laws will promote global trade in legally logged timber products and stop unfair competition in Australia between illegal and legal timber suppliers.
“Illegal logging is a major problem for many developing nations and directly threatens Australian timber jobs,” he said.
Following consultation on an exposure draft bill, new legislation to introduce the policy will be considered by the Australian Parliament. The restriction on the importation and sale of illegal timber will come into force when the legislation commences.
In addition, there will be a requirement on timber suppliers who first place timber products onto the Australian market to undertake a due diligence process to verify the legal origins of the timber products and to disclose species, country of harvest and any certification. These timber suppliers include timber importers and domestic wood processing mills.
Industry will be given up to two years following the commencement of legislation to establish their due diligence systems. These due diligence systems will need to be incorporated within an industry developed, Commonwealth accredited, code of conduct.
“We look forward to continuing to be involved in the development and implementation of measures to address illegal logging. It is important that the mechanism employed is risk based, flexible and not prescriptive so that producers and importers can demonstrate compliance as efficiently and effectively as possible,” Mr Stanton concluded.
The A3P has been an active contributor to the discussion about addressing illegal logging for a number of years including publication in 2007 of Member Guidelines – Stopping the supply of illegally logged forest products to Australia.
Source: A3P media release. For more information, contact Richard Stanton, Tel +61 421 310 758
Link to detailed information about Australia's response to illegal logging