CRISIS NAILS BUILDERS
A GROWING shortage of timber has left the state’s builders “heading towards a cliff”, industry leaders say.
A report from Master Builders Australia and the Australian Forest Products Association estimates Tasmania will be short 5100 house frames by 2035 under current trajectories.
Master Builders Tasmania chief executive Matthew Pollock (right), said the shortages were already causing delays throughout the supply chain and were projected to become worse.
“We can’t build houses if we do not have the timber to build frames,” he said.
BUILDERS are sounding the alarm over Tasmania’s rapidly dwindling timber supplies, warning the industry is “heading towards a cliff” unless the government allows more tree planting.
A report from Master Builders Australia and the Australian Forest Products Association estimates Tasmania will be short 5100 house frames by 2035 under current trajectories.
Master Builders Tasmania chief executive Matthew Pollock said the shortages were already causing delays throughout the supply chain and were projected to become worse.
“This analysis is a wake-up call for decision makers to act now to avoid a construction industry crisis in the next decade. We can’t build houses if we do not have the timber to build frames,” Mr Pollock said.
“Timber shortages are a handbrake on our recovery, limiting our ability to meet community demand for housing.”
Tasmanian Forest Products Association chief executive Nick Steel said the government needed to set aside more tree-planting land to bolster local supply.
Mr Steel said ordinarily about 20-25 per cent of supply came from imports into Tasmania, but that it had slowed to a trickle because of border lockdowns.
“This report shows that state and federal governments need to seriously tackle the policies which will drive forward new plantings of the right types of trees at the right scale and in the right places,” he said.
“Australian governments need to work together on a national plan that delivers an immediate increase in our plantation estate to ensure Australia can meet its future housing construction needs.
Future generations of Aussie homeowners are counting on it.”
Resources Minister Guy Barnett said the government was in talks with the industry about ways to alleviate the timber shortage.
Mr Barnett said much of the problem came down to supply and demand, with the industry experiencing a boom of activity during the lockdown period.
“It’s a nice problem to have, but there is a shortage for certain timbers for building and construction purposes and we need to do everything we can to work with industry and our community to make sure we can deliver on that supply,” he said.
“We continue to support a viable and sustainable forest industry because if you lock that up you won’t have any timber for the building and construction sector. It’s a bit of a no-brainer.”