Timber mills fear they will be unable to fill orders after the New South Wales government confirmed logging would end in forests gazetted as part of the Great Koala National Park. The state government announced an immediate temporary moratorium on logging in 176,000 hectares of state forest. The government said the decision would impact six out of 25 mills operating in the region and about 300 jobs. Details of which mills will close and where jobs will be lost are yet to be announced as the government negotiates assistance deals with owners and workers. …The state government announced a worker and industry support package for those affected, as well as $6 million in community and business support. For workers, that included Job Seeker-style payments equivalent to their wage and free access to health, legal, and financial services, as well as training support. Tony Callinan from the Australian Workers’ Union said the offer fell short.
Related content in The Advertiser Australia, by Nathan Schmidt: Great Koala National Park could make $300m in carbon credits over 15 years