One Nation has just announced an election policy promising to re-open native forest logging.

Claiming that a native timber industry is still viable in Victoria doesn’t serve regional workers and communities. Even the suggestion that the industry could be revived distorts reality and  fails to honour the magnitude of the change that directly affected communities have just navigated.

If you live in the regional electorates of Eildon, Euroa, Ovens Valley or Benambra, you can write to a candidate to emphasise why re-opening the logging industry is a bad policy for your local area. 

Re-starting logging is irreconcilable with the survival of Victoria’s unique flora and fauna and is also practically impossible without appropriate supply.

Victoria’s native forests have nothing left to give. Strong policy would include plans to proactively restore forests on public land, creating regional jobs in the process. 

Cost of living pressures and the bushfire recovery process are creating unprecedented stress in rural and regional areas. Re-starting logging now would open old wounds and risk driving a wedge between neighbours, right when we need each other most. 

Email the candidate in your area now.