Hon Dave Kelly BA MLA, WA Minister for Water; Forestry; Youth, Media Release, 25 November 2021.

Forestry Minister Dave Kelly today announced that the McGowan Government has made an additional 12,000 tonnes of structural pine available over the next three months for the Western Australian timber manufacturing industry and the State’s building and construction sector.

The McGowan Government’s WA Recovery Plan has supported an unprecedented boom in WA’s building and construction sector. At the same time, a global shortage of structural timber has limited the importation of pine into WA.

In the past, the WA softwood processing industry supplied approximately 65 per cent of pine products to the State’s housing and construction market. The remaining demand has been met by timber imported from the Eastern States or overseas. 

The McGowan Government, through the Forest Products Commission (FPC), has arranged for the supply of an additional 12,000 tonnes of WA grown softwood logs to be brought forward from future supply commitments to help meet the current increase in demand for timber in local construction.

In the coming weeks, the FPC will begin deliveries of additional timber to Wespine Industries, with Wespine commencing distribution to the marketplace after processing.

Building and construction industry body Master Builders WA has recently highlighted a shortage of softwood needed to complete current building projects and has been working closely with the McGowan Government and Wespine to increase timber supply.

The FPC will be supplying the softwood logs from its south-western radiata pine plantations to Wespine over the next three months.

To ensure fair distribution, the timber will be used to fulfil backorders for Wespine’s WA customers and will be made available on their current price list.

The McGowan Government’s recent announcement of a record $350 million investment in expanding WA’s softwood plantations will provide at least an additional 33,000 hectares of softwood timber plantation and help to meet future supply in the decades to come.

Comments attributed to Forestry Minister Dave Kelly:

“The McGowan Government’s strong management of COVID-19 has resulted in Western Australia having one of the strongest economies in the world.

“The West Australian building and construction industry is booming and it’s fantastic that we can support them with locally grown pine.

“The global shortage of structural pine reinforces how important it is for Western Australia to have a sustainable, long-term and local supply of this critical resource.

“The McGowan Government’s record $350 million expansion of WA’s pine plantations will secure long-term supply and ensure we have a sustainable timber industry for the future.”