Amulti-million dollar State Government funded research centre has broken ground in the Limestone Coast.
The sod was turned on the $16m Forestry Centre of Excellence (FCoE) last week with the facility set to be completed early next year.
Representatives from the State Government, South Australian Forest Products Association (SAFPA), University of South Australia (UniSA), FCoE, building contractors Mossop Constructions and architecture firm Russell and Yelland attended to mark the occasion.
Minister for Primary Industries, Regional Development and Forest Industries Clare Scriven said it was wonderful to be able to celebrate and mark the sod turning of such an important facility.
“The Forestry Centre of Excellence has been in the pipeline for a few years and it is something we committed to while we were in opposition and made an election commitment in 2022,” she said.
“Since then, due to the cooperation and the input from the University of South Australia, from industries through to the South Australian Forest Product Association, some wonderful work from the architects and designers and now the builders, we are really, really looking forward to … this facility.
“What it means for the South East is there will be long term certainty the Green Triangle will continue to be a leader in research.
“It means there is that 10 year certainty and a positive State Government investment of $16m over those 10 years to enable South Australia and the Green Triangle to continue to lead, to innovate and to be absolutely at the forefront of changes that are doing good things for our forest industry and for our community and our environment.
“The forest industry here in the South East is an absolutely leading and important industry and by having the Forestry Centre of Excellence here it delivers on a commitment that we have made of a government that comes to a commitment of $31m.
“Thank you to everybody that has been involved here to date and to those of course who will be part of this facility going forward.”
UniSA Provost Marnie Hughes-Warrington AO said it was an easy decision for the university to invest in the centre with the State Government.
“This represents the industry partnership with the university that has had deep roots here and we know that by investing in this space that we can accelerate innovation further to the point where Australians when they move into houses and work in industrial settings, we are looking at Australian products,” she said.
South Australian Forest Products Association chief executive officer Nathan Paine said he believed the centre “will be I think a step change for the forest industries in terms of research and development and we do so in the 150th year of plantation forestry in Australia”.
The centre is a 10 year collaborative project between the State Government, the University of South Australia (UniSA) and the Green Triangle forest industry.
It has been operating from existing UniSA facilities at the Wireless Road precinct since its establishment in December 2023.
The aim of the centre is to create long-term research and development capability for the Green Triangle forest industry, enhancing its economic prosperity, generating more jobs and investment to the region.
With its co-location as part of the Mount Gambier Research, Education and Training Precinct, the centre’s proximity to the UniSA Mount Gambier Campus, the new Mount Gambier Technical College and the Mount Gambier TAFE provides a unique opportunity to link with a broad range of community, educational and research partners.
