The Hon. Clare Scriven, Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development (SA), Minister for Forest Industries (SA); The Hon. Blair Boyer, Minister for Education, Training and Skills (SA), Joint Media Release, 20 June 2024
South Australian-sourced timber will form the backbone of two of the state’s new technical colleges – simultaneously reducing the carbon impact of the construction work and supporting the state’s $3 billion forestry industry.
The Malinauskas Government’s new technical colleges at Tonsley and Mount Gambier will both be constructed with timber sourced from Timberlink Australia’s new $70 million NeXTimber manufacturing facility at Tarpeena in the state’s south east.
The plant is Australia’s only combined Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing facility and is located adjacent to Timberlink’s state-of-the-art sawmill.
Minister for Forest Industries Clare Scriven MLC and Minister for Education, Training and Skills Blair Boyer are today visiting NeXTimber to see some of the timber panels to be used for the new technical colleges roll off the production line.
The NeXTimber facility can produce CLT panels up to 16m long and 3.5m wide, and GLT beams up to 12m long. These offer an alternative to traditional construction materials and can help to reduce the embodied carbon of a project.
Structures using this timber can be built up to 12 storeys and even taller when combined with other materials in a hybrid timber construction.
The technical college at Mount Gambier, which is due to begin construction in early 2025, will be co-located in the research and education precinct alongside the existing TAFE and the new Forestry Centre of Excellence.
The State Government has committed $208 million to five technical colleges, which will see three opened in metropolitan Adelaide, one in Port Augusta and one in Mount Gambier, by 2026.
Quotes attributable to Clare Scriven
Our forest industries have a proud history of sustainably growing and utilising our local resources to address growing timber demands.
As Minister for Forest Industries, I am delighted to see this state-of-the-art local timber product being used in large government projects such as these.
It’s great to know that the timber from NeXTimber is sourced from local sustainably certified pine plantations.
Timber is the ultimate renewable, and by using this product in South Australian government projects, it will not only further reduce the carbon footprint of the construction work, but also support a sector that employs almost 18,000 people directly and indirectly.
Quotes attributable to Blair Boyer
Each of the five technical colleges has a specific design and study focus so that it complements the local region and the future job opportunities for students graduating.
Supporting industry, trade, educators, and learners will help provide the employees needed to drive growth in this state – and the use of Timberlink wood in these projects, shows this government is serious about working closely with industry in a range of ways to support our economy.
Quotes attributable to Simon Angove, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Timberlink
Timberlink was pleased to welcome the Minister for Forest Industries and the Minister for Education, Training and Skills to our NeXTimber facility this week.
The visit was a fantastic opportunity to discuss the benefits of using responsibly sourced plantation pine timber in construction projects of the future, and to showcase the level of innovation and technology involved in the manufacturing process.
Using mass timber products such as CLT and GLT in the construction of these new technical colleges may assist in storing more carbon in South Australia’s built environment.
Supporting local jobs is important to Timberlink, and we are proud to have created over 30 new full-time jobs for the Limestone Coast region with the opening of our NeXTimber facility in February 2024.
