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One Nation has promised to resume native timber logging in Victoria if it wins the November state election, but has not provided detailed funding, costs or implementation plans. The party supports country-of-origin labelling, a self-funded model using harvest revenue for forest improvement and fire prevention, and selective harvesting. The Liberal-National Coalition is also considering restoring logging.
One Nation has pledged to let loggers back into native forests in Victoria if it wins the state election. One Nation has promised to resume native timber logging in Victoria if it wins the state election, but has not said how the policy would be funded or achieved.
What's next? Two years after sawmills fell silent in Victoria's native forests, the logging industry could be revived if there is a change in government at the November election.which was shut down by the Labor government in January 2024One Nation's Narracan candidate Ben Lucas said the policy supported country-of-origin labelling laws on timber and wood products, and a self-funding model in which harvest revenue supported forest improvement and fire prevention.
He said the party would consult industry leaders and audit the millions of dollars Labor spent on the logging industry transition fund before settling on a new approach.
"I don't know if you're picking up on a theme here with One Nation, but we don't need to overlord and control everything — the industry are the subject matter experts,"He said the party would incentivise the use of Australian timber in construction through a "local wood first" policy in government procurement and would ensure timber was extracted using a selective harvesting model. Pauline Hanson with Ben Lucas during a visit to Gippsland in August.
But when pressed for details, Mr Lucas would not clarify how much it could cost or what would be involved in reopening native forests to logging.
"This is a broad policy and it's very open-ended, but with clear guidelines on how we want to do it and why we want to do it," Mr Lucas said. Coalition policy in the works The Liberal-National Coalition is still working through the details of its policy, but Nationals leader Danny O'Brien previously vowed to restore native forest logging.
Nationals MP Melina Bath, whose portfolio includes timber, said the coalition was finalising its policy but also backed a return to logging.
"They're still going through a parliamentary process and we make sure … that we've done our costings correctly. " Victoria's Regional Development Minister Michaela Settle said restarting native forestry under a Coalition or One Nation government would cost Victorians.
"One Nation needs to explain how the litigation, timber shortages and bushfire risks that forced the transition have suddenly vanished, because they haven't,""Labor is backing forestry workers into new jobs, growing local plantation timber and keeping forestry skills and experience in our forests to reduce bushfire risk and support better forest management," she said. According to a 2026 Victorian Auditor-General's report, the Victorian government's decision to shut down the industry affected 1,000 workers and 200 businesses.
It found the Victorian government spent $1.5 billion on transition arrangements and 87 per cent of workers had retired or found new jobs. But it found many had moved into part-time, casual or contract roles and it was "not clear if workers' new jobs meet their needs or are sustainable". Ms Bath said a revived industry would "look different to what the Labor government shut down in 2024" and would need to overcome challenges, such as rebuilding the workforce.
Orbost District Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretary Garry Squires said any move to revive the forestry sector would be well received in the regions. ABC Gippsland: Natasha Schapova"The reality is you can't just start big harvesting operations right across Victoria in a hurry, but start off slowly with thinning operations," he said.
"There's a big demand for domestic firewood, which is not being met at present because thinnings aren't happening. "Victoria has more than 380,000 hectares of plantation forest, totalling more than 20 per cent of Australia's plantations. Victoria also produces about one-quarter of Australia's plantation-grown wood, at a gross value of about $550 million each year. Victorian Forest Products Association chief executive Andrew White said the sector needed a commitment beyond the election to develop a long-term industry plan.
"Capital investment in manufacturing is not cheap. And in order for there to be a viable industry, whether it's soft wood or hardwood going forward, we need that long-term vision," he said. Mr White said the sector faced challenges, including balancing demand for hardwood from forests and softwood from plantations, along with managing public forests to protect against bushfire.
"We have a very small amount of hardwood plantations in Victoria … there's an opportunity to continue to invest in those types of plantations over the longer term as well, while we still manage our public forests for forest health outcomes and fire management," Mr White said. Email address
Victoria Election One Nation Native Forest Logging Timber Industry Liberal-National Coalition
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