Applications close for jarrah contracts
© 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
December 4, 2001
Applications close today for the limited jarrah contracts to be offered through the State Government's planned restructuring of the state's timber industry after 2003.
As part of its election commitment to ban the logging of old growth forests, the Gallop Government will enforce a supply limit to the saw milling industry of 140,000 cubic metres of jarrah annually from 2004.
That is a cut of about 60 per cent on last year's quota.
Forest Industries Federation of WA executive director Bob Pearce says the available contracts will be hotly contested, with the Government expected to announce the successful applicants early in the New Year.
"We'll really hit the hard part of the industry restructure as soon as these allocations are announced because that will mean that very many businesses will shut, mills will close, people will lose their jobs," he said.
The industry submissions are to be evaluated by the Forest Products Commission.