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Plantations and Reafforestation Amendment Bill 2010 Introduced into NSW Parliament

The Plantations and Reafforestation Amendment Bill 2010 (PRA Bill) was introduced in the NSW Parliament on 1st September 2010. The PRA Bill amends the Plantations and Reafforestation Act 1999 (Act). The amendments are intended to clarify the operation of the Act, the process for authorising plantations, and increase the enforcement and compliance provisions. The Act and the Plantations and Reafforestation Regulation 2001 (Code) provide the regulatory framework for plantation operations in New South Wales and establish an integrated authorisation process for plantation operations. The Code contains the detailed requirements for establishment, management and harvesting of plantations. A3P supports best practice regulation provided it is effective, efficient, and least cost for all plantation growers and managers.

Key aspects of the PRA Bill include:

• Amendments to the current system for authorising plantations;
• ‘Alternative transport contribution system’ (roading provisions) will not be introduced;
• A new set of fire standards will be introduced, with the aim of providing ‘a safer operating environment for fire fighters and plantation workers’. The fire standards will be phased in for existing plantations and be mandatory for new plantations;
• Regulations for management of soil and water will be revised to incorporate ‘best practice’ environmental standard principles;
• Adoption of the definition of regrowth vegetation in the Native Vegetation Act 2003 in place of the current definition in the Code.
• Application fees to be introduced to cover the costs of assessing and issuing plantation authorisations by ‘authorised or compliance’ officers;
• Changes to the enforcement and compliance framework such as increasing ‘authorised or compliance’ officers powers of entry, inspection and their ability to obtain information.

Though the above points are consistent with negotiations between industry (via AFG, A3P and their major plantation grower members) and the Government, the devil may still be in the, as yet unfinalised, detail.  As the relevant detail is yet to be developed in an amended Code and/or other regulations, A3P will continue to take a close interest in the ongoing development especially relating to fire standards and authorised officers. Further detail will be required to enable assessment of the potential impacts and costs resulting from the proposed amendments. A3P remains opposed to escalated fees for full cost recovery and to any introduction of an alternative transport contribution scheme. To view the PRA Bill 2010 transcript click here.

Contact: Gavin Matthew

 

Productivity Commission's Draft Report into Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements

A3P has made a submission to the Productivity Commission (PC) on its Draft Report on Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements (the Draft Report).  In November 2009 the PC was commissioned to undertake a study on the impact of bilateral and regional trade agreements on trade and investment barriers and on Australia’s trade and economic performance. The Draft Report follows an Issues Paper and associated consultation released in December 2009.

Key aspects of the Draft Report of relevance to the plantation products and paper industry include:

• Australia has been and continues to be active in bilateral and regional trade agreements. A3P urges caution and significant effort to ensure balanced and equitable trade outcomes;
• The Draft Report concludes that the current strategy to negotiate comprehensive agreements seeking substantial reductions in trade barriers for merchandise trade, has resulted in significant tariff reductions. However there is little evidence that these preferential TAs have provided substantial commercial benefits;
• Existing international trade safeguards (such as the antidumping system) are complex, onerous, time consuming and costly, and the outcomes of cases is highly uncertain even if predatory activity can be proven. However these safeguards are still mechanisms that can be accessed by domestic industry, and be effective in addressing instances of external subsidies, predatory and anti-competitive behaviour in the international arena;
• A3P sees merit in the PC support for progressing broader multilateral trade frameworks and initiatives (like Doha) that include the requirement for improvements in domestic transparency and policy analysis within each country that signs up to the agreement. These broader trade agreement vehicles have the scope and potential to achieve broader and more balanced outcomes.
• A3P agrees with the PC conclusion that current processes for assessing, prioiritising, and reporting outcomes of TAs lack transparency and tend to oversell benefits of the agreements. A3P supports more transparency in the trade agreement negotiating process.

It is likely that the current trade agreements or trading relationships have had some deleterious impacts on Australia’s plantation products and paper manufacturing industry.  A3P sees an opportunity to address these issues, balance trade and strengthen our trading ties with relevant countries through proposed trade agreements. A3P would support strengthening of, but not any further dilution of, the current trade position and trade safeguards (such as the antidumping system). A Final Report to Government by the Productivity Commission is due by 27 November 2010.  A3P looks forward to working constructively with the PC in its review into Bilateral and Regional Trade Agreements. To view A3P's submission click here.

Contact: Gavin Matthew

 

2010 AFG Conference

Registrations are now open for the 2010 AFG Biennial Conference. The conference will be held this year in Mt Gambier, a mature forest growing region with substantial processing capacity. The theme for the 2010 conference is ‘Integrating Our Resources’, the conference will be held over three days and a half days commencing with an Ice Breaker on Sunday 10 October. There will be one day of field trips sandwiched between two days of plenary and parallel sessions. The three streams for the parallel sessions are Management, Markets and Opportunities. We invite you to register early for the premier forest growers conference in Australia (Early Bird Registrations close 31 August 2010). Registration Brochures are available from the AFG website (www.afg.asn.au ), the winter edition of Australian Forest Grower magazine or by contacting Christina Staderman at AFG on 02 61629000 or conference@afg.asn.au

 

'Australia's Place in the Changing Forest Products Market' Conference

'Australia's Place in the Changing Forest Products Market' is an industry conference, hosted by ForestWorks, to be held on Thursday 9 September 2010 in Melbourne. The conference will address issues such as global product certification and community support, and emerging forest products markets. The Hon Tony Burke, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, has been invited to deliver the keynote address. The conference will be followed by a networking diner on Thursday evening, and FirstSuper will host a plantation investment seminar on Wednesday 8 September. To register for the conference or to find out more information, please download the invitation and registration form here or contact Carolyn Day at ForestWorks.

 

Wood Manufacturing 2010

Wood Manufacturing 2010 is an Australasian wood manufacturing technology show and expo to be held in Melbourne on 13-15 September 2010. It is run by the Forest Industry Engineering Association (FIEA) covering all major processing operations in wood manufacturing, and an overview of the latest tools and technologies. It includes practical independent workshops, demonstrations, managed exhibitions and displays. The program will run in both New Zealand and Australia. More information and a copy of the program can be found here on the A3P website.