The Government's announcement of the code revision consultation was launched on 30 June 2021 with 28 days allowed for stakeholder submissions. The consultation document is here: https://engage.vic.gov.au/code-practice-timber-production

Community based forest conservation groups around Victoria have extremely critical about this proposed code revision in relation to both process and content.  

The process has been appalling:

1. Failure to publish the report of the 2020 review of the code;
2. Major deregulatory initiative given only 28 days consultation;
3. No itemisation of the proposed changes; no tracked version to enable stakeholders to view changes;
4. No regulatory impact statement despite this being a major deregulatory initiative.

The content of the proposed revisions is worse: 

1. Remove of obligation on VicForest to have regard to biodiversity, water and climate change, landscape sensitivity and cultural heritage in developing its TRP (through the removal of Cl 2.1.1.1);
2. Disabling the precautionary principle by requiring it to be interpreted in accordance with an outdated court judgement; converting it into a provision to be ‘triggered’ in certain circumstances (VicForests’ preferred construction) rather than a principle to be observed across all forestry operations;
3. Flouting the commitments in the Government’s Biodiversity 2037 policy;
4. Weakening the regulatory framework in the face of global warming and increased fire risk before the review of the impact and implications of the 2019-20 fires (major events review);
5. Disregard of the impact on biodiversity of huge megacoupes through the failure to offer a definition of ‘retained vegetation’;
6. Failure to expand buffer width from the very inadequate 20m to at least 40m;
7. Failure to require coupe plans to be published in full prior to logging;
8. Non-enforceable, non-transparent, non-accountable Zoning Accountability Framework;
9. Lack of protection of tourism and scenic protection values;
10. No provision for the immediate protection areas (IPAs) which were promised in the Forestry Plan.

RFPG's submission to the consultation is here. 

Urgent call for action

Urgent call for conservation supporters to advise Minister D'Ambrosio (9637 5171; lily.dambrosio@parliament.vic.gov.au) of their concern regarding both the appalling process and the proposed deregulation of native forest logging. 

Please note that formal submissions to the official consultation site will not be accepted after midnight Thursday 29 July. However, please feel free to send late submissions to the Minister.  

Please also write to local members, to The Age and your local newspapers about your concern; feel free to use the above analysis.  Please  also tweet and post on social media!

See VNPA advocacy resources here:
https://vnpa.org.au/action/timber-code-review/

Resources

See http://rubiconforest.org/documents for a range of resource materials providing background to these issues.

29 July 2021