The Seedling to Structure Tour was hosted last week by the South Australian Forest Products Association for the State Parliamentary Select Committee on Timber issues in the Limestone Coast and beyond.
The tour provided a great opportunity for the four Legislative Councillors to see first-hand the multiple processes and organisations involved to bring a seedling from infancy through to a final product for use.
The committee examined the operations of Tabeel Trading, OneFortyOne, Timberlands Pacific Pty Ltd, Timberlink Australia and New Zealand, Van Schaik’s Bio Gro and SE Pine.
Committee chairperson and Liberal MLC Dr Nicola Centofanti said there are significant concerns around adequate and ongoing timber supply for domestic processing.
“This uncertainty flows onto local businesses and the wider community,” Dr Centofanti said.
“Supply security assists with job safety, which in turn benefits the regional economy.
“Water limitations are also an ongoing discussion.
“As a finite resource, there must always be a balance across community needs, and authorities need to consider all users.
“One of the frustrations we heard from both industry stakeholders and the community was the inflexibility of current water policy to allow leases to shift across adjacent zones.
“As Chair of this committee, it will be my job to present findings and recommendations back to the Legislative Council once the investigations are complete.”
Her committee visited other timber industry sites during their three days in the region and heard verbal submissions at formal hearings at The Barn.
