About 10 contracts to harvest timber in East Gippsland are voided by the Government — leaving 90 workers who fought the latest summer fires without short-term jobs.
The contract termination is a further blow for the industry. Last week, the Supreme Court halted logging in the central highlands after environmentalists argued the fires in Gippsland had destroyed sensitive habitat for threatened species, and as a result, their remaining habitats should be protected.
In the wake of this summer's fires, some senior figures within the Government have privately warned that the 2030 timeline is no longer feasible. Some in the industry have also made the same warnings. "If you are a timber worker and you hear this, it just drives people into fits of despair,'' Mr O'Connor said.
And with the 2030 target looking uncertain, Mr O'Connor called on the Government to bring employers, experts, unions and forestry workers together to work out how to distribute the remaining timber sustainably.
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