Two years on from the official end of native timber harvesting in Victoria, Rachel Payne MP used Question Time to press the Minister for Environment on reports that logging is continuing under a different name — through forest management and forest produce licensing.
“Native Forest Logging by stealth”?
Rachel pointed to concerns raised by groups like the Victorian Forest Alliance, who say a steady stream of logging trucks — at least ten a day for the past five years in the Lerderderg National Park — suggests commercial-style logging is still happening under the cover of forest management work. Native forests, she noted, provide essential habitat for threatened and endangered species, and their loss carries real biodiversity costs. While she acknowledged that some logging is legitimately used to manage fire risk, she argued the current Forests Act 1958 and its licensing framework still leave the door open to timber harvesting via forest produce licences — and asked the Minister why.
The Minister’s response
The Minister rejected the idea that logging is continuing “by stealth,” saying land management priorities are focused on reducing fire risk, protecting communities and improving forest health — work that sometimes requires fuel breaks or removing hazardous trees, with woody debris retained where possible to support habitat. He pointed to the government’s 2024 decision to bring forward the end of native timber harvesting, and cited a recent byproducts auction — trialled using storm debris from the Wombat State Forest — as an example of safety-driven removals being put to productive use rather than treated as commercial logging.
Supplementary: how’s Victoria tracking on “30 by 30”?
Rachel followed up by asking how Victoria is progressing toward the national commitment — agreed by all state and territory environment ministers in 2022 — to protect 30% of Australia’s land and marine areas by 2030. She noted that reaching the land target nationally would require protecting a further 34.3 million hectares, against Victoria’s total land area of around 22 million hectares.
The Minister pointed to the government’s healthy forests planning work, which he said is being developed based on science, community consultation and engagement with Traditional Owners, and framed Victoria’s contribution to 30 by 30 as being delivered through nationally agreed frameworks and state biodiversity and public land management policies, rather than a separate Victorian statutory target.
Read the full exchange
The complete transcript of Rachel’s question, the Minister’s response, and the supplementary exchange is available below.
Question Without Notice: 28/7/26
TRANSCRIPT:
Rachel PAYNE (South-Eastern Metropolitan): Thank you, President. My question is for the Minister for Environment. It is now Two years after the cessation of native timber harvesting in Victoria. Environmental organisations such as the Victorian Forest Alliance continue to express concerns. Those concerns are that logging is effectively continuing via the back door, through so-called forest management practices. These include a minimum of ten logging trucks per day for the last five years in the Lerderderg National Park. Native forests provide essential habitat for threatened and endangered species, and their loss has significant impacts on biodiversity.
While I acknowledge that logging is sometimes legitimately used to reduce fire risk. This must not be at the cost of our native forests. The system is failing under the current Forests Act 1958 and licensing framework. It still allows timber harvesting through forest produce licensing. So my question is. Why does the Forests Act 1958 and the current licensing framework continue to permit timber harvesting through forest produce licences?
Response from the minister for the environment
Minister for Environment: Thank you, President. Thank you, Ms Payne, for the question. It’s an interesting and really important matter, because I think it is important to bust myth from fact as well. What I am hearing is that this allegation of “logging by stealth”. Not saying that you’re alleging that. But through some of the email campaigns I have experienced as Minister for Environment suggests there is some logging going on. But our land management priorities are clear: we want to reduce fire risk, protect communities, and improve forest health. So essential forest and fire management actions, as you acknowledge, are needed. And from time to time fuel breaks and removing hazardous trees are required. Not only to protect communities but to protect the biodiversity of areas and the animals that it sustains.
There’s a reason for that work, and the reason is: where possible. Woody debris is retained in forest to support habitat and biodiversity. So we won’t necessarily take out all debris, but some supply of byproducts is always limited but necessary at times. We made a tough decision as a Labor government to end the native timber harvesting industry in January 2024. It was the Labor government that did that.
Victoria’s native forests deliver far greater value, and they’re protected for biodiversity, climate resilience and community safety — not used for commercial timber production. So I don’t necessarily accept the premise that the Act is failing; I think it’s working as intended. We did have a byproducts auction recently — the first trial, of storm debris from the Wombat State Forest, demonstrated that where material needs to be removed for safety, bushfire risk or forest health reasons, it can be put to productive use instead of being wasted. The value generated is a byproduct of storm recovery and forest management works, not from commercial timber harvesting, which ended in January 2024.
President: Ms Payne, supplementary.
Supplementary Question from Rachel
Rachel PAYNE: Thank you, President. I thank the Minister for his response. The Australian government set a national target to protect and conserve 30% of Australia’s landmass and 30% of Australia’s marine areas by 2030 — the “30 by 30” target. By October 2022, environment ministers across all states and territories agreed to this target. To reach the 30% land target, we need to protect or conserve another 34.3 million hectares. For context, Victoria itself is around 22 million hectares.
So, by way of supplementary: can the Minister advise how the government is progressing toward its goal to protect 30% of land and water, as committed to at the 2022 meeting of environment ministers?
Response from the minister for the environment
Minister for Environment: Thank you, President. Thank you for the supplementary question — a really good question, because it gives me the opportunity to talk about our government’s commitment to progressing healthy forests planning, to determine the most appropriate long-term management arrangements based on science, based on community consultation, and based on working with our Traditional Owners. That’s a commitment I’m committed to, and that the Labor government is committed to.
We are committed to contributing to Australia’s biodiversity, including 30 by 30, for effective conservation outcomes. We are working with states, territories and the Commonwealth to bring that to fruition. This is about conservation outcomes, not simply changing the label on land. We will continue to do that work — that’s a national commitment to be reached by 2030, implemented through nationally agreed frameworks and state biodiversity and public land management policies, rather than through a separate Victorian statutory target.
The international framework recognises that conservation can be achieved through protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, where appropriate, and our priority will always be to ensure our forests are managed to deliver biodiversity outcomes.
