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Wednesday, August 2, 2023
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UNSTOPPABLE BONNIE Doon’s Campbell Smedley bombs it past North Wangaratta’s Adam Enever on the way to another dominating team win. Full wrap in Sport. PHOTO: Marc Bongers
Forest workers left in dark
Foresters from Mansfield and across the region g assembled to seek answers on their future
LAST week, VicForests staff from across the region gathered in Alexandra for a BBQ for a chat and to discuss their concerns around the decision to stop native logging by the end of the year. For many, native logging made up much of their workload and many have expressed concerns to the Community and Public Sector Union (CSPU). CPSU Industrial Officer Kassey Dickie said the Victorian government had
BY SAMUEL O’BRIEN sobrien@ nemedia.com.au
not released any more information about what would happen to VicForests staff. “We spent a number of weeks trying to get some answers,” she said. “We were reaching out to the government and the relevant ministers after the announcement as well as trying to hear from the department about what
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was happening and what was the expectation for this workforce. “We were met with silence. “It continues to be stressful for VicForests staff.” She pointed out VicForests staff are highly trained as foresters and ecologists, having completed a broad range of qualifications and decades of experience in Victorian native forests developing harvesting strategies, conducting ecological
surveys, regeneration and building strong relationships with their communities. “There are 163 staff working for VicForests,” Ms Dickie said. “This contingent of workers are fairly unseen because they work for a small public sector organisation that have their arms out into the timber industry and the harvesting that goes on in the state. “They found out about the cessation of native timber
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harvesting via the media; that was the first they had heard of it.” The BBQ last week allowed the CSPU team to further understand VicForests staff ’s concerns in a more casual setting. “It was about bringing people together, have a BBQ and have a chat about what is going on for them,” Ms Dickie said. “The online meeting format is impersonal and doesn’t really give people to opportunity to have a one-
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on-one chat in a bit more of a relaxed environment. “We wanted to hear from them directly and have the opportunity to speak to people not just in the large group.” One of the key takeaways was the lack of transparency about the timing of next steps before next year. “The absence of communication and timelines from government is a major concern,” Ms Dickie said. ■ Continued page 3
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