Senator Anne Ruston, the Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources, with responsibility for forestry and forest products industry issues, will spend today touring forestry operations in the Mount Gambier region and meeting with local industry members.
Senator Ruston will join the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) Mr Ross Hampton to see a range of forest, wood and paper products industry operations in Mount Gambier and Millicent, including forest management and harvesting, sawmilling and tissue production.
The local industry operations will include N.F. McDonnell and Sons sawmill, Telford Bluegum plantation with ForestrySA and South West Fibre, OneFortyOne Plantations, Fennell Forestry, and Kimberly-Clark Australia’s tissue mill in Millicent.
A whole of industry reception will be held at the Commodore Hotel, with the support of Regional Development Australia Limestone Coast, where Senator Ruston will have the chance to meet with industry representatives and local forestry industry members.
Mr Hampton said, “The forest products industry is the backbone of the Mount Gambier region, like many other regional communities all over the country. The industry provides 120,000 direct jobs across Australia, including 7000 direct and 15,000 indirect jobs in Senator Ruston’s home state of South Australia.”
“This is a great opportunity to showcase our sustainable operations to Senator Ruston and highlight the importance of the industry to the region. Importantly, the industry in South Australia supports much needed forestry and manufacturing industry jobs with economic flow-on benefits,” said Mr Hampton.
29.10.2015 Senator Ruston tours forestry operations in Mt Gambier region