Despite a declining native forest logging industry and catastrophic impacts of bird flu on wildlife in a climate and biodiversity crises, Federal Labor’s logging minister Julie Collins announced $150 million continuing to prop up the logging industry with more taxpayers’ funds.

Bob Brown Foundation is calling for redirection of taxpayer funds to protection and restoration of native forests rather than propping up native forest logging. Governments can afford forest protection and restoration without carbon trading the forests away to big polluters

“At a loggers dinner last night in Hobart Minister Collins handed the logging industry more hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars. The taxpayer handouts need to end and more importantly the native forest logging destruction has to end,” said Jenny Weber, Bob Brown Foundation’s Campaigns Director.

“Labor governments are failing to take critical action and protect forests for their climate, biodiversity and environmental values when they continue to fund the logging industry. When Julie Collins announces $150 million to the “forestry industry” without clear indication that it is all for the plantation sector, it beggars belief that the declining native forest industry would be granted more taxpayer funds to continue environment and climate destruction,” said Jenny Weber.

“Prime Minister Albanese knows the climate and biodiversity crises is upon us and knows immediate protection of our nation’s native forests would be a most powerful action. A majority of Australians and a majority of Labor voters want an end to native forest logging and this can be delivered by Prime Minister Albanese.”

“In March 2025, the logging industry and union representatives reported to the Federal Government that there is “an obvious and concerning decline in Australia’s overall harvest of timber fibre. At the same time a significant proportion of that harvested timber fibre has been exported in the form of woodchips and logs.” The native forest logging industry is way passed their used by date and saving all remaining native forests is critically urgent,” said Jenny Weber.