Chris Gulaptis MP, Member for Clarence, Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture and Forestry (NSW), Media Release, 11 November 2022

This week the NSW Government introduced the [Environmental Planning and Assessment Amendment (Private Native Forestry) Bill 2022] to Parliament.

Clarence Nationals MP Chris Gulaptis has welcomed the certainty the Bill provides to the timber industry and the significant koala protections included.

“Farm forestry is a vital component of the NSW timber industry, generating about $482 million and employing 835 people on the North Coast alone,” Mr Gulaptis said.

“We know just how valuable this resource is, not just for the locals mills who produce it, but for building and infrastructure right across our state.

“That’s why the Government has worked very hard to give landholders certainty by increasing the length of Private Native Forest (PNF) plans and reducing duplicative approval requirements.

“But in this process our koalas haven’t been forgotten, with the PNF codes containing a range of protections for habitat, waterways and threatened species.”

While the bill makes farm forestry easier for landholders the new PNF codes introduced in May include:

• Keeping more of the trees that koalas reside in and being mindful of the ones they feed on.
• Ensuring harvesting does not take place around trees being used by koalas or within 20m of these trees.
• New provisions to improve animal welfare outcomes, such as visual checks of each tree for koalas and keeping records.

“I am supportive of the aim to simplify approvals for harvesting operations while upholding the NSW Government’s commitment to keep our native wildlife safe,” Mr Gulaptis said.

“If we think about this logically, our farmers are some of our best environmental stewards and they will manage their land better than anyone, which includes maintaining practices that are also good for the environment.

“It’s also a fact that koalas continue to occupy the very forests we harvest, because they are well looked after and make for good habitats.”

The koala protections in the PNF Codes are accompanied by the toughest penalties in Australia for causing harm to threatened species, with penalties of up to $1.65 million or two years imprisonment.

Related stories: The NSW Government has lost control on private native forestry: Higginson; Councils should back cuts to red tape: NSW Farmers