Australia’s State of Victoria Announces End to Native Logging by The End of 2023

Australia’s State of Victoria has announced that native logging in Victorian forests will end sooner than originally planned, according to reporting by Sky News (5-23-23). The move will impact 15,000+ forestry workers. The original plan—announced in 2019—would phase out logging in 2030; however, the new timeline will end native logging by the end of 2023.

Sky News noted that the forestry industry has recently been hampered by increasingly severe bushfires, prolonged legal action, and court decisions.

On Tuesday, the government unveiled its budget which includes a $200 million (AUD) support package that will transition workers away from native logging by the end of 2023. The announcement brings the Victorian government’s total support for the transition to more than $875 million.

The government has insisted it is being upfront with the industry and that “every single” timber worker will be directly supported to find a new job. According to Sky News, the statement also said that there were no alternative timber supply sources “available domestically or internationally” that can offset the disruption in Victoria.