I’m now living in Yeppoon, on the coast near Rockhampton, and am in the process of getting a job with ABC-Radio! I start training next week and in my push to get a foot in the door I dug up a story about a Tasmanian sawmiller who has packed up his mill and moved to Queensland to create 160 permanent jobs up here because, as he puts it, there is a more secure plantation softwood resource (What the heck is Tasmania doing with its once state-owned plantation pines?) and more support from Queensland than he was getting in Tasmania.
To quote Queensland ABC-Radio, mill operator Ron O’Connor says other Tasmanian-based timber companies may do the same thing.
“The way Tasmania is going it wouldn’t surprise me,” he said.
“It’s a very difficult place to do business right now.”
This is an indictment on the Tasmanian State Government. What a sorry state of affairs when a non-native-forest, plantation-only mill has to pack up and leave the state!
The Mercury was not interested in this story last week and I don’t know if ABC-Radio in Tasmania has covered this.
You will find the following links very interesting. I do hope you can do something with this.
In the meantime, I am trying to track down Les Dick for a Defender follow-up for you.
Cheers,
Brandt
Mill web links listed below:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-10/tas-timber-company-sets-up-sawmill-in-central-qld/5309984
http://blogs.abc.net.au/queensland/2014/03/tasmanian-forestry-company-opens-new-sawmill-on-capricorn-coast.html
http://www.themorningbulletin.com.au/news/timber-mill-opens-for-business/2192549/
http://fridayoffcuts.com/dsp_article.cfm?id=514&aid=5408
Photos of the site:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-10/timber-marshalling-services-new-sawmill-at-bondoola-near-yeppoon/5309988
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-10/timber-marshalling-services-managing-director-brendon-oconnor/5310016
