Thousands of hectares of native forest north of Noosa have been opened to the timber industry in a Labour decision to save logging jobs.
The harvesting permits have been extended to 2026, with the previous expiration date of 2024 threatening up to 500 workers.
The land was going to be turned into a national park, but Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says “This announcement will help secure the employment of 500 Maryborough and Wide Bay locals working in the industry.”
“It's also a win for hundreds more people and businesses who indirectly rely on the timber industry.”
The LNP's spokesman for Forestry, Tony Perrett, says “It is basically a two-year delay of hundreds of job losses… a political fix for Labor, not an economic fix for the workers”.