Completed programs
In July 2016, the Tasmanian Government announced the Wood and Fibre Processing Innovation Program, with up to $1.25 million in funding available.
Grants of up to $100 000 were made available through the Program to support the development of projects that utilise forest harvesting and timber processing residues and/or agricultural plant residues to create value-added products in Tasmania.
A total of 41 applications were received during the seven-week submission period. Thirteen projects were successful in gaining grant funds worth a total of $1 242 600, and the total value of the projects is more than $7 million. The table below shows the successful applicants, the grant amounts, and a brief description of the projects.
| Applicant | Project description | Funding amount |
|---|---|---|
| ARTEC Australia Pty Ltd | Incorporate within the kiln drying facility a process that allows for all docking waste to be dried to an acceptable level for sale into the market using flue gas heat from the boiler to be sold alongside ARTEC Australia's sawdust briquettes. The project will be followed by a future investment in drying waste from the chipping operation and producing these into briquettes for commercial application. | $100 000 |
| Botanical Resources Australia Manufacturing Services Pty Ltd | Undertake a detailed evaluation of pellet production using a range of products including trialling different feedstocks such as timber residue materials for use in an existing large scale pelletiser. | $87 500 |
| Dorset Renewable Industries Pty Ltd | To further develop a project for a wood pellet plant at Ling Siding, Scottsdale. The proposed project if implemented will convert wood processing waste into solid biofuel (wood pellets). | $100 000 |
| Dovetail Timbers Pty Ltd | Build a new residue processing and engineering (residue engineering) plant. This will extend the capacity to process low-grade logs and residues and facilitate continued production expansion. New innovative sawmilling equipment will be built which is specifically designed to efficiently process select forest residue. Outputs will include green sawn timber, seasoned timber, dressed timber and a wide variety of engineered timber products for architectural and construction applications. | $94 600 |
| East Tamar Maintenance Services Pty Ltd | Construction of a biomass fuel production facility, set up and equipping of a fabrication facility for the assembly of biomass fuelled appliances for domestic and mid-range commercial / industrial applications. | $95 000 |
| Howard Heritage Holdings Pty Ltd | Upgrade of workshop equipment to enable more efficient production of thick veneer products from lower grade logs and craft wood. | $100 000 |
| Huon Valley Timber Pty Ltd | Through a staged process, change an existing timber drying kiln's fuel source from LPG to residues generated on site from mill operations. | $100 000 |
| Meander Valley Council | Initial work on the development of a business case for the design and operation of a large scale bioenergy generation and local distribution network. | $100 000 |
| Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd | Preliminary two-part feasibility study; the first to determine if an existing boiler can be converted from natural gas to a dual-fuel feed of biomass (woodchips or other forestry by products) and natural gas; and the second involving the installation of an embedded 300 kW steam turbine to generate electricity for the site. The project, if implemented, will result in production of steam and electricity for the site with potential for an approximate 70% reduction in site greenhouse gas emissions. | $100 000 |
| Norske Skog Paper Mills (Australia) Ltd | Trial the utilisation of wood residue in the existing boiler with the aim of replacing a proportion of the black coal with a mixed fuel source utilising biomass. The project will include necessary engineering and operational changes followed by thorough testing. | $100 000 |
| Pentarch Forest Products Pty Ltd | Phase 1 is a feasibility study for an onsite solid biofuel plant to turn a woodchip processing by-product into a valuable and renewable solid biofuel in the form of solid biofuel briquettes. If the project is viable and the proponent commits to construction, phase 2 involves the construction of the biofuel plant. | $100 000 |
| Stronach Industries Group Pty Ltd | Enhance current timber processing and manufacturing centre with the infrastructure and technology to value add timber waste into an environmentally friendly commodity. This will involve provision of a down-line timber processing centre to convert timber off-cuts, timber shavings, and sawdust into compressed products including hot blocks, aromatic briquettes, and garden, pet, poultry and equine products. | $96 500 |
| Wood Pellets Tasmania Pty Ltd | Integration of a shaving process and baling operation into an existing pelleting operation in order to both secure and diversify the biomass accessible to the pelleting operation and to diversify the business' range. | $69 000 |
Contact
Forest Policy
Email: forests@building.tas.gov.au
2013
This program has now been completed.
This program provided immediate assistance for certain forest contractors suffering identified hardship.
Contact
Forest Policy
Email: forests@building.tas.gov.au
The program was delivered by ForestWorks Ltd and is now completed.
The Employee Transitional Support Program provided support payments to employees affected by particular circumstances as a result of the restructuring of the forest industry in Tasmania.
The program was targeted to assist:
- employees who lost employment as a result of the implementation of the High Quality Sawlog Contract Voluntary Buyback Program and the Regional Sawmillers’ Structural Adjustment Program.
- applicants under the Forest Worker Assistance Program whose cases were not previously addressed due to unresolved issues with their employment status and/or the exhaustion of available funding.
Contact
Forest Policy
Email: forests@building.tas.gov.au
The Tasmanian Government implemented the Past Native Forest Contractor Hardship Relief Program in late 2015/early 2016 to provide assistance to former native forest contractors and sub-contractors who continued to suffer hardship as a result of the significant structural change over the preceding five years in the native forest industry.
This program targeted assistance to those former Gunns and Forestry Tasmania (now known as Sustainable Timbers Tasmania) contractors and sub-contractors who had been ineligible for previous industry exit programs and employee assistance programs.
Past Native Forest Contractor Hardship Relief Program Guidelines
The outcome of the assessment process was as follows:
- Applications assessed = 21
- Eligible = 5
- Ineligible = 16
Contact
Forest Policy
Email: forests@building.tas.gov.au
The Tasmanian Government, through the then Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources (DIER), administered the Australian Government's $5.4 million Tasmanian Forest Contractors Financial Support Program between December 2010 and May 2011.
The purpose of the program was to provide financial assistance to Tasmanian (harvest and/or haulage) forest contractors and subcontractors operating predominantly in the native forest sector and assist them to continue their operations in the broader contracting industry on the basis of the other business having exited the sector.
53 business received grants under the program, with 94 per cent reporting that they were still in business as at April 1, 2011. 60 per cent of contractors reported that business conditions have gotten worse since the assistance had been offered, largely due to the eight week closure of the Gunns Triabunna mill in the south of the State.
Only four businesses stated that the assistance had no effect on their business, mainly as the level of funding provided was insufficient given the business activity losses they were suffering. Feedback from contractors suggested that generally the program has assisted contractors through this period of uncertainty, but the benefit was largely a short term stop-gap. Even contractors who gave low rankings to the program, still obviously found the money useful. As noted above, in many cases it appears that it has been further downturn in business from the Gunns Triabunna Mill closure that has overridden the benefits of the program.
Ultimately 89 per cent of successful contractors were satisfied with the Program, with 70 per cent feeling the Program was good to excellent. No successful applicants gave an overall rating of "bad" and only six contractors felt it was poorly managed, three of which received low amounts of assistance from the program.
Final Report to the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Review of Administration of the Tasmanian Forest Contractors Financial support program
Contact
Forest Policy
Email: forests@building.tas.gov.au
The Tasmanian Native Forest Harvest Contractor Assistance Program (the program) provided support to improve the short-term financial viability of Tasmanian public native forest harvest contracting businesses and maintain the productive capacity. It was concluded in late 2015.
The program allowed harvest contractors to address outstanding financial obligations, enabling them to continue to operate through a challenging short-term transitional period.
The program was targeted at assisting businesses contracted to Forestry Tasmania for the harvest of native high quality sawlog from Tasmania's public native forest.
A total of up to $4 million was available as grant funding. It could only be used by businesses to pay down eligible business debts, including money owed to financial institutions and trade creditors.
The government delivered this assistance program to ensure that the native forest industry remains viable over the period in which its strategies for industry growth can be further developed and implemented.
In May 2015, the Minister for Resources, with the endorsement of the Australian Government, approved an amendment to the Program guidelines, to enable funding assistance to be made in a timely manner to applicants who satisfied the Eligibility Requirements under the Program guidelines, other than the expiry date of their Eligible Contract(s).
The full criteria for eligible native forest harvesting contractors:
Native Forest Harvest Contractor Assistance Program - Guidelines
The department directly contacted those parties which were known to have held a then current relevant contract with Forestry Tasmania. The department also encouraged other people to contact the Department if they believed they may have been eligible under the guidelines.
The following contractors received funding under the program:
| Contractor | Amount |
|---|---|
| TP Bennett and Sons Pty Ltd | $350,000 |
| CJR (Tas) Pty Ltd | $109,500 |
| CP & SM Cowen & Sons | $131,400 |
| BR & KF Muskett & Sons Pty Ltd | $197,100 |
| SFM Environmental Solutions Pty Ltd | $350,000 |
| Taslog Pty Ltd | $350,000 |
| Ted's Forest Management Trust | $98,550 |
| Dave and Bec Triffet Holdings Pty Ltd | $65,700 |
| P.L. & N.R. Voss Pty Ltd (as the trustee for the Voss Family Trust) | $350,000 |
| Wilmaye Pty Ltd | $109,500 |
| TFA Contracting Pty Ltd | $90,885 |
| DK Bowen Pty Ltd | $76,650 |
| Select Logging Pty Ltd | $49,076 |
| Les Walkden Enterprises Pty Ltd | $350,000 |
| Beaumont Timber Harvesting Pty Ltd | $350,000 |
Contact
Forest Policy
Email: forests@building.tas.gov.au