PHILIP HOPKINS
By PHILIP HOPKINS
THE new Nationals Member for Morwell, Martin Cameron, challenging the state government in Parliament last week over the future of Opal Australia’s white paper mill, said he was met with a wall of silence.
Mr Cameron said the Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty, Ben Carroll, when questioned, barely even addressed the issue, but instead spruiked government policy ranging from support to industry to sprouting the government’s SEC policy.
“The Minister then gave no guarantees of ongoing support for the affected workers and tried to sell Labor’s timber policy as something positive,” Mr Cameron said.
In his first week in Parliament, Mr Cameron questioned Mr Carroll why the government was sitting by while Opal’s white paper mill and production line was now idle and facing permanent closure due to a lack of timber supply.
Mr Carroll said Mr Cameron had asked an important question on manufacturing and the timber industry.
“That is why we have put through some $200 million in business support and community support, making sure as part of our manufacturing strategy that we help communities and help businesses transition to a low-carbon facilities and low-carbon manufacturing,” he said.
Mr Carroll was pressed by Nationals leader, Peter Walsh and Mr Cameron to answer the question. Mr Carroll said it was clear that this was a community and an industry in transition.
“We have made it very clear, on the back of a range of court rulings, that this is one mill. They are still continuing to produce brown paper, recycling paper and cardboard, and we are actively working with them and supporting them,” he said.
“Everyone knows that when it comes to forestry the product is timber. It is the timber that goes into our basketball courts, it is the timber that goes into our hardwood floors and it is the timber that goes into our paper.
“Every industry under the Andrews Labor government is supported, whether you are a timber industry, whether you are a manufacturing industry of whether you are a low-carbon industry, and that is what we will continue to do.”
Speaking later, Mr Cameron said he was very disappointed with the Minister’s answer.
“Labor has failed to act to address ongoing green lawfare in the courts which has dried up short-term timber supply, as well as Labor’s policy to shut down the native timber industry in the medium term,” he said.
“This situation has resulted in 200 Latrobe Valley jobs under threat with many workers already stood down. This is a disaster for those workers and their families at the mill as well as the wider community and indeed our nation.”
Mr Cameron said it was ironic that Labor had announced a Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty and was now overseeing the closure of one of our successful manufacturing businesses.
“There are no other manufacturers of white copy paper in the country and the result of this decision will be more imports from places that don’t have the environmental regulations in place that we do,” he said.
“This is not good enough – we need the government to act and actually deliver the timber that the government is obliged to supply to this mill and save these jobs.
“I will keep fighting to save these jobs and look after the workers at Maryvale.”
