The NSW Forest Products Association has hit back at attempts by the Federal Government to stop all harvesting of red gum in the Central Murray region, saying that the decision to shut down the industry put hundreds of jobs and entire communities at risk.
The Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts has issued an order to Forests NSW to cease harvesting the red gum forests in the Deniliquin region by 31 May, citing concerns over the future of the green leek parrot, which is listed as vulnerable, but is not on the endangered species list.
"Over a thousand jobs are threatened in the midst of a recession; and the axe is being wielded by a Government claiming to be a friend of the working families of this country," said Russ Ainley, executive director of the NSW Forest Products Association.
Mr Ainley said the Federal Government had "jumped the gun on this issue".
"Far from putting the parrot at risk, the industry has been working hard to grow and sustain habitat to allow the green leek parrot to continue nesting and living in the forests," he said.
"The management of the parrot and its habitat was one part of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) being developed by Forests NSW in consultation with the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
"The Department has completely circumvented due process by taking this action, throwing 18 months of hard work and consultation forming the EIS down the drain.
"As a result, hundreds of workers in the Deniliquin region are waking up this morning and reading the morning papers to discover that their jobs are on the line.
"The lack of consultation on the ban from the Department and the Government to the industry, the millers, and the workers has been completely unacceptable."
According to the NSW Forest Products Association, 320 jobs are on notice, and a further 800 jobs reliant on the red gum industry will be lost as the full impact of a ban on logging in the region is felt.
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