Forests NSW sackings the first step to privatisation - 31 March 2010

NSW Greens MP Ian Cohen wants Minister for Forestry Resources, Ian Macdonald to clarify whether he is going to sack 70 Forests NSW staff and replace them with private contractors from Boral Australia.

“The sackings will only aggravate the poor compliance standards in understaffed and remote State Forests, especially in Northern NSW,” says Mr Cohen.

“Minister Macdonald is hell bent on running a bargin basement Forests NSW operation by flouting environmental laws and importing cheap labour. This is the modus operandi of irresponsible and unethical factories in certain developing countries. It should not be the basis of operation for a state owned corporation managing our forests in NSW.”

“Late last year, ecologist David Milledge did an audit of Yabbra State Forest uncovering more than 50 breaches to statutory licence conditions and four Acts of Parliament by Forests NSW. This scale of non-compliance is only the tip of the iceberg and Minister Macdonald is actively encouraging over harvesting to prop up Forests NSW’s unsustainable bottom line.”

“Many of those workers who will be sacked have been expressing concerns for years that they are being forced to oversee logging operations in forest that are still regenerating and shouldn't be logged for years.”

“Replacing overstretched foresters with private contractors will see an explosion in non-compliance levels. Putting tree harvesting selection in the hands of private operators without the appropriate expertise or training will mean more logging of exclusion zones, habitat trees and riparian buffer zones.”

“Minister Macdonald is managing these forest for quick, cheap short term financial gain. However, he will leave a legacy of forestry neglect, mismanagement and ecological devastation.”

“More than ever we need to establish strong legal standing rights for the community to take Forests NSW to court for breaches of forestry and threatened species legislation. State Forests are a public asset and the community should have the right to defend this precious resource.”