Marginal seat polling shows support for ending native forest logging Coffs Coast Nambucca Valley by News Of The Area - Modern Media - January 26, 2025 Marginal seat voters want an end to native forest logging, a poll shows. POLLING in five key “battleground” seats indicates that voters want an end to native forest logging and strongly support investment in new timber plantations, wood product manufacturing and funding for forest management jobs, including improved fire management. The Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation (ACBF) cites new research by Pyxis Polling and Insights, in the marginal seats that could decide this year’s federal election. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au The polling was commissioned by ACBF as part of its new “Forest Futures” campaign. The campaign is seeking policy commitments from all candidates and parties to protect the environmental and carbon values of native forests and to support a rapid transition to a 100 percent plantation-based forestry industry. “Already, 87 percent of wood harvested in Australia comes from plantations, and native forest wood production has declined 80 percent since 2004,” ACBF Executive Director Lyndon Schneiders said. The polling found three-quarters of voters in Griffith (76 percent) and Brisbane (74 percent) support ending native forest logging on public land and sourcing timber only from plantations. In the NSW North Coast seat of Richmond, support for ending native forest logging is at 72 percent, while 60 percent of voters in Eden-Monaro back the proposal. In the Tasmanian seat of Lyons, almost six in ten voters (58 percent) support ending native forest logging. “There’s a clear message to all candidates and parties here: voters want the Australian government to invest in our plantation timber industry to help build the homes we need to end the housing crisis while also funding more jobs in forest management, including protection against catastrophic bushfires.” More than 85 percent of all voters polled support the Australian Government funding workers to undertake fire and environmental management in public-owned native forests. In Eden-Monaro, there is 89 percent support for more forest management jobs. The polling shows consistently high support for government incentives for the plantation timber industry and jobs within plantation forestry, with support ranging from 82 percent to 85 percent across the five seats. More information can be found at forestfutures.org.au. By Andrew VIVIAN
