At an early morning toolbox meeting, Kevin de Hoedt’s boss assured his sawmill team they had work for the next six years. By lunchtime, he broke the news their industry would be gone in six months.
The Victorian government announced on May 23 it would phase out harvesting native forests by next year, shocking the timber industry which was planning for a 2030 end date.
Timber supply had all but dried up in eastern Victoria after Supreme Court injunctions halted state-owned logger VicForests over environmental concerns.
Hopes were high for a return to normal.
“There are no logs at the moment but once this court injunction is sorted out VicForests has promised some log supply,” Mr de Hoedt, a kiln operator, said as he recounted the meeting….