New South Wales

cross-posted from: https://aussie.zone/post/639127

More than 300 Labor branches have backed a push by the party's environmental arm for the Albanese government to fund an expanded, publicly owned plantation industry to ensure the country gets the timber it needs and end native forest logging.

Felicity Wade, Lean's co-convener, said the evidence suggested expanding plantations could create 1,800 regional jobs, compared with 1,100 employed in the native forest industry nationally.

A draft national platform seen by Guardian Australia made no mention of reducing native forest logging and land-clearing - a long-time Lean goal.

The Western Australian and Victorian governments have promised to end native forest logging at the end of this year, and the federal ALP MP Josh Burns has urged action "to save our precious natural environment and native wildlife".

The new New South Wales Labor government supports ongoing native forest logging while also promising to create a great koala national park, and the Tasmanian Labor opposition has accused the pro-forestry Liberal state government of not doing enough to support the industry.