TIERNEY (Western Victoria – Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education, Minister for Agriculture) (12:32): The Andrews Labor government is working hard to support the forestry sector through the native timber transition. We have listened to the support needs of timber workers, contractors, employers and communities, just as we said we would. We have announced an enhanced forestry transition program informed by this consultation. The first worker support payments are now in the pockets of workers. Sawmill transition packages are now open for applications. Forest contractors told us that they needed help with loan repayments for stranded equipment, and we announced that support. The community forestry sector told us how they had been impacted, and we have expanded the forestry transition program to include the sector. Timber workers told us that finding new work after the age of 45 can be a slower process, so we created a redundancy add-on payment of up to $50,000 –
Members interjecting.
The PRESIDENT: Order! This happened last week and it really irked me. I do not think the minister is being provocative in her ministers statement, and ministers are just getting drowned out with interjections, so the rest of the statement is going to be heard in silence.
Gayle TIERNEY: Timber workers told us that finding new work after the age of 45 can be a slower process, so we created a redundancy add-on payment of up to $50,000 for this age group. There will also be $20,000 in wage subsidies for businesses to employ former forestry workers. We have also invested over $65 million in direct grants to timber communities, including over $8 million to workers and businesses in East Gippsland shire, $6.9 million in Wellington shire and $2.8 million in Baw Baw. We are also supporting employment in smaller timber communities like Orbost with a $36 million transition fund that is now open, with grants of up to $1 million available.
We are a government that will continue to deliver the support that workers and communities need, and can I take this opportunity to thank all those that have engaged so closely with the department and my office during this period.
