House Standing Committee on Agriculture, Resources, Fisheries and Forestry

Committee activities (inquiries and reports)

Inquiry into the Australian forestry industry

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Terms of Reference

The House of Representatives Standing Committee on Agriculture, Resources, Fisheries and Forestry shall inquire into and report on the current and future prospects of the Australian forestry industry, particularly in regards to:

• Opportunities for and constraints upon production;
  
  
• Opportunities for diversification, value adding and product innovation;
  
  
• Environmental impacts of forestry, including:
  
  
  • impacts of plantations upon land and water availability for agriculture; and,
    
    
  • the development of win-win outcomes in balancing environmental costs with economic opportunities;
    
    
• Creating a better business environment for forest industries, including:
  
  
  • investment models for saw log production;
    
    
  • new business and investment models for plantation production; and,
    
    
  • superannuation investment in plantations;
    
    
• Social and economic benefits of forestry production;
  
  
• Potential energy production from the forestry sector, including:
  
  
  • biofuels;
    
    
  • biomass;
    
    
  • biochar;
    
    
  • cogeneration; and,
    
    
  • carbon sequestration;
    
    
• Land use competition between the forestry and agriculture sectors:
  
  
  • implications of competing land uses for the cost and availability of timber, food and fibre;
    
    
  • harmonising competing interests; and,
    
    
  • opportunities for farm forestry.

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