The Minns Labor Government’s minimal support for industries affected by the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) will do nothing to provide long term certainty to impacted businesses.
It’s been a month since the moratorium on timber harvesting was announced on Father’s Day, directly impacting up to 5500 regional jobs.
NSW Nationals Leader Dugald Saunders said the $100,000 is fake support that will do little more than tick a box.
“A cap of $5 million to mitigate the flow-on effects of this cruel decision is a drop in the ocean when you consider some of these businesses are being obliterated and will continue to be impacted for years to come,” Mr Saunders said.
“The Minns Labor Government has again underestimated the scale of the devastation it has caused and will leave people looking for an exit strategy after generations of being in the industry.
“The feeling on the ground is once again that people have been completely let down and their lives and livelihoods are hanging in the balance.”
Shadow Minister for the North Coast, Gurmesh Singh, said the two year consultation process clearly didn’t mean anything.
“This is hardly an inspirational announcement from the government when the stop-work orders will mean hundreds of families will struggle to put food on the table in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis,” Mr Singh said.
“The paltry support on offer shows the Premier, the Environment Minister, and the Agriculture Minister haven’t been listening to the people who have been saying for years there could have been a positive way forward with a smaller footprint that would have meant they didn’t have to lose everything overnight.”
Nationals Member for Clarence, Richie Williamson, said Labor has completely turned its back on the people who will be hit the hardest.
“The Minns Labor Government made an election promise to deliver the Great Koala National Park while protecting timber workers at the same time, but that was a straight out lie,” Mr Williamson said.
“While Chris Minns and Penny Sharpe have looked after their own jobs, they have left my region completely gutted, delivering a fatal swipe to businesses and entire regional towns that rely heavily on our world-class timber.”
Nationals Member for Oxley, Michael Kemp, said it will have a cascading effect that will cripple multiple sectors.
“The 176,000 hectare koala park will wipe out 40 per cent of the state’s future hardwood supply, forcing the price of construction materials through the roof which will further exacerbate the housing crisis,” Mr Kemp said.
“It won’t just create severe shortages for the things we rely on every day, but it will also drive skilled workers away from our communities and set off a chain reaction through other industries including mining and energy.
“It also completely ignores the fact the NSW timber industry is among the most sustainable and tightly regulated in the world. It is the gold standard – renewable, recyclable, and essential in so many ways.”
Nationals Member for Myall Lakes, Tanya Thompson, said there are also concerns around recent job cuts at the Rural Assistance Authority that will be administering the support.
“The RAA has had its capacity massively reduced, which has already had an impact when it comes to getting money out the door, as we’ve seen with the recent floods,” Mrs Thompson said.
“These are real people who have already gone through months of angst and uncertainty, and they can’t afford to wait any longer to get the help they so desperately need.”
