Four Corners investigates Australia’s native logging battle in Timber Turmoil on ABC TV – The future of Australia’s native forest industry will come under the spotlight in a new Four Corners investigation examining whether the end of native logging in some states has simply shifted the industry elsewhere.
In the upcoming episode, Timber Turmoil, reporter Jessica Longbottom follows the logs and the money to explore what has happened since Victoria and Western Australia ended native forest logging in state forests.
While logging has ceased in those states, the demand for native hardwood remains. The investigation examines how timber sourced from Tasmania’s native forests is now being supplied to mills in Victoria, including businesses that have received millions of dollars in public funding following Victoria’s logging shutdown.
The program also travels to New South Wales, where the next major battle over native forestry is unfolding. Conservation groups are using protections for the endangered Greater Glider to challenge logging operations, while industry representatives argue that Australia still requires native hardwood and that reducing local supply could increase reliance on imported timber.
Beyond the environmental debate, Timber Turmoil explores the economic impact on regional communities where the timber industry remains a major employer. In towns such as Heyfield in Victoria, residents and industry figures argue the issue extends beyond forests and conservation to jobs, manufacturing and the future viability of local communities.
The investigation promises to examine the competing interests at the centre of one of Australia’s most contentious environmental and economic debates.
Four Corners: Timber Turmoil airs Monday, 22 June at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview
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Four Corners investigates Australia’s native logging battle in Timber Turmoil on ABC TV
