When the Andrews–Allan Government promised timber towns would be looked after through the forestry shutdown, people breathed a sigh of relief, according to board member and former executive officer at Forest and Wood Communities Australia, Mick Harrington.
Mr Harrington said they thought at least the transition would be fair.
“It’s turned into one of the most disgraceful stitch-ups regional Victoria has seen,” he said.
“Contractors in towns we all know – Noojee, Heyfield, Orbost, Cann River and Powelltown to name a few – built their lives on Timber Sales Agreements — the contracts that kept families afloat for decades.
“People bought gear, hired staff, and invested in their towns on the back of them.
“But when the payouts came, it was a circus. Some got most of what they were owed, while others with the exact same contracts got nothing. No reasons. No consistency. Just bureaucrats hiding behind “discretion” and hoping people would cop it quietly.”
According to Mr Harrington, many were told their contracts had no value at all.
“That’s rubbish. Those agreements carried businesses for decades. To suddenly declare them worthless isn’t just bad policy — it’s cruelty dressed up as governance,” he said.
“Take the case of my friend – a former VicForests contractor (who wishes to remain anonymous due to potential governmental retaliation).
“He has spent years collecting Alpine Ash seed — the very seed that’s been used to reforest our mountains after harvesting and bushfires. His work has been vital to keeping these forests alive for the next generation.
“And yet what has the Allan Government offered him? A package so poor it would leave him with nothing for his investment, his skill, and his service to this state.
“A bloke who helped rebuild the bush is now being hung out to dry by the same government that bragged about reforestation using his seed.
“That’s not just unfair, it’s shameful.
“Premier Jacinta Allan should hang her head. Environment Minister Steve Dimopoulos is missing in action, more interested in press conferences than people. And the bureaucrats who signed off on this disgrace? They’ve backed in a scheme designed to save “the State money by ripping off small family businesses in the bush.
“This whole “transition” has been a con job. Dan Andrews told people to plan for 2030. Contractors believed him, invested millions, and built their lives on that promise. Then the rug was pulled. Now families are saddled with debt, stranded machinery, and so-called “support packages” that are nothing more than insult payments.
“Behind all the spin, this is what it means: families facing ruin, workers walking away with scraps, and country towns losing yet another heartbeat.
“The demands are simple and fair: Publish the criteria for how VicForests contracts were valued; Review the decisions that left people with nothing; Reassess cases where families and workers were misled; And hold Jacinta Allan, Steve Dimopoulos, and their bureaucrats accountable for this betrayal.”
Mr Harrington said this isn’t just a line in the budget.
“This is real people, real livelihoods and real communities – and right now, the government that promised to look after them is the one that’s continually kicking them in the guts,” he said.
