Sawmillers and forest policy

These recent news items highlight the moral hazard that continues to dominate forest policy and the forest industry in Australia:

https://www.news.com.au/national/breaking-news/calls-for-overhaul-of-vic-timber-industry/news-story/0db91597e1b64a9a72e02e9319c23a5c

and

https://www.timberbiz.com.au/victorian-sawmillers-call-for-change-favouring-plantations/

For 200+ years forest policy in Australia has been about sawmillers (and to a lesser extent other wood processors).

Profitable tree growing has NEVER been the focus of forest policy in Australia.

It’s like having a dairy industry policy focused on cheese makers at the expense of dairy farmers.

Sawmillers need to understand.

Good forest policy isn’t about them!

Good forest policy is about the growers. It’s about profitable tree growing.

If tree growing is not profitable then sawmilling has no future.

It’s that simple.

Continually asking taxpayers for more money is not a forest industry plan.

The forest industry does not need to transition to a plantation resource.

In fact the whole idea of “transition” is completely wrong.

Transition keeps the policy focus on employing sawmillers.

That is exactly the rubbish policy focus that got us into the current disaster.

The forest industry policy needs to transition to profitable private tree growing.

That is a very significant difference!!