‘Lives at risk’: Liberals say logging ban poses mental health threat

By Charlotte Grieve and Benjamin Preiss
The Sydney Morning Herald
November 13, 2019
Category: Business & Politics
Region: International

The opposition has accused the Andrews government of putting timber workers’ lives at risk after abolishing native forest logging, sparking an impassioned exchange in the Victorian Parliament on Wednesday. …deputy leader of the state Liberal Party Cindy McLeish asked what percentage of this [support] package would go towards supporting affected workers’ mental health. …Ms McLeish then quoted a timber contractor from Millgrove who said: “There will be suicides.” She quoted the contractor as saying: “No one wants to come out and say it, but you can’t rip apart someone’s town, livelihood and community and think everyone can just get on with it. This is life-destroying.” …Nationals MP Stephanie Ryan, said: “Livelihoods are going to be destroyed. This is not cheap politics. If the minister doesn’t know the intricacies of those logging contractors who are going to lose their jobs as a consequence of his government’s policy, then he isn’t fit to be minister.”

Read More