26Mar
Australia’s forestry and forest products industry will turn its attention to the federal election after last night’s 2025-26 budget, which did not deliver any meaningful new investment to help our industries realise their potential for the climate, economy, and communities. That is according to Diana Hallam, CEO of the Australian Forest Products Association, which nonetheless acknowledged a small number of measures from last night’s budget.
“We will now shift our focus squarely to the Federal Election campaign to secure what our sector needs as outlined in our Platform – Australian Timber. Australia’s Future, to help fix the national housing crisis, strengthen our sovereign capability in timber and wood-fibre and ensure a healthy and well-promoted and understood sector,” Ms Hallam said.
“We welcome the additional $20 million for the Buy Australian campaign, but to really drive Australian products in the marketplace, we need the introduction of country of origin labelling to allow consumers to readily choose locally grown timber and wood fibre. It is currently far too difficult for Australian consumers to discern where timber products come from and we will be campaigning hard for this policy in coming weeks.”
Ms Hallam said the Budget’s $181.9 million in funding for the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme (TFES) over the forward estimates is acknowledged:
“But reform and more work are needed to optimise the transport of timber and wood resources across Bass Strait.”
“We also reiterate our support for the $54 million announced over the weekend for prefabricated and modular housing and to assist in certification for this type of manufacturing, on which timber and wood-fibre businesses are leading the charge. It is timely that the government has acknowledged that pre-fabrication has expanded from just the old donga to include innovative timber panel systems, which are more modern, attractive, affordable, and climate-friendly solutions.”
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