Carbon policy announcement good for WA’s forests and communities 11 July 2011

Premier urged to put aside negativity and seek funds for WA

The WA Forest Alliance (WAFA) welcomes measures in the Federal Government's carbon price package that provide incentives to protect native forests and ensure that our forests will not be used as ‘biomass’ to power electricity plants.

Alliance spokesperson Jess Beckerling said, “The carbon price package is good news for WA's forests. It ensures that burning native forests for energy will no longer be eligible for renewable energy certificates under Commonwealth legislation.

“Without this competitive advantage, burning native forests for power is very unlikely to ever get off the ground in WA,” she said.

“Attempts by the Barnett government to prop up the ailing native forest logging industry by selling them off to energy companies have taken a serious blow with this announcement.

The package also provides for a biodiversity fund worth $948 million over the first six years to directly support projects that establish, restore, protect or manage biodiverse carbon stores. This includes funds for actions associated with the cessation of logging in publicly owned native forests.

"The Barnett government would be missing a major opportunity to sort out an industry that is costing the state money and wasting a valuable public asset if they do not chase WA’s share of these funds to protect the forests and restructure the industry into farm forestry.  

"This is a further financial incentive to the state government to protect WA's native forests, and implement long overdue industry restructure into the plantation sector,

"Our forests are worth much more protected as carbon stores and vital habitat for our unique native species, than logged for low value wood products or to burn for power.

"Now that the financial incentives for native forest biomass have been removed and money is there for forest protection there is only one way that this can logically be taken.

"It is time for WA's native forests to be protected," she concluded.