On the 30th April, 2013, the Tasmanian Parliament passed the Tasmanian Forests Agreement legislation, and subsequently, on 2nd May, the Tasmanian Forest Intergovernmental Agreement was signed by the Honorable Julia Gillard MP, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, and The Honourable Lara Giddings MP, Premier of the State of Tasmania.
This agreement commits funding to assist FSC Australia to “develop a national forest stewardship standard for Australia”, and for “the Tasmanian public native forestry industry to meet the requirements for gaining Forest Stewardship Council certification”.
The reference to FSC in this agreement demonstrates the prominence of FSC as a durability solution, said Natalie Reynolds, Chief Executive of FSC Australia.
It is important to remember that FSC is the membership organisation that assists in the setting of standards, and FSC Australia is not here to deliver or influence certification decisions in any way. Whether Forestry Tasmania achieves certification or not will be the decision of an independent auditor.
Contrary to reports in the media, no group can ensure that certification is or is not achieved. It will be up to Forestry Tasmania to demonstrate compliance with every element of either the Forest Management Standard 01-001 or the Controlled Wood Forest Management Standard 30-010.
The process will need to begin with extensive stakeholder consultation centered around the chosen standard, and if stakeholders wish their views to be taken into account by the auditors, it is important that they participate in the process.