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  • Ms JAN BARHAM: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Primary Industries,

  • and Minister for Lands and Water.

  • Section 69G of the Forestry Act 2012 requires that a review of New South Wales agreements

  • and related integrated forestry operations approvals be conducted every five years.

  • Noting that the most recent document relating to a review of forest agreements was published

  • in 2010, can the Minister indicate when the overdue third review of the New South Wales

  • forest agreements that is required under the Forestry Act will be undertaken?

  • The Hon. NIALL BLAIR: In the year 2016 we celebrate 100 years of the original Forestry Act here

  • in New South Wales, which then gave birth to the initial Forestry Commission, which

  • then went on to become in recent years the Forestry Corporation.

  • I am glad that the member has taken an interest in the role that our forestry sector plays

  • in New South Wales, particularly for our regional communities and the economies that rely upon

  • this important sector -- not only on the softwoods but also the hardwoods.

  • Just recently I was joined by the Hon.

  • Rick Colless in celebrating 100 years of forestry in New South Wales and the original Forestry

  • Act of 1916.

  • I am sure that as the next days go by I will have more of an opportunity to talk about this wonderful event.

  • The Hon. Lynda Voltz: Point of order: My point of order is relevance.

  • The member asked a question about when a report was due.

  • She did not ask for an extensive history of the 100 years of the forestry industry.

  • I ask you to bring the Minister back to the question.

  • The PRESIDENT: Order!

  • While struggling to see the relevance, I hate to discourage anyone from reflecting on our history.

  • I am sure the Minister will come to answering the question in due course.

  • The Hon. NIALL BLAIR: One cannot talk about the Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals [IFOAs]

  • without talking about the importance of the forestry sector in New South Wales.

  • The existing IFOAs for the coast regions consist of 12 separate licences and around 2,000 conditions.

  • They no longer reflect best practice, with many of the conditions being proscriptive,

  • overlapping and unenforceable.

  • The remake of the Integrated Forestry Operations Approvals [IFOAs] for the coastal regions

  • of New South Wales is expected to streamline and simplify the conditions for carrying out

  • harvesting while delivering the same environmental outcomes.

  • By focusing on outcomes and impacts, the new IFOA aims to deliver positive environmental

  • outcomes at the landscape level, enable industry to operate more efficiently and make the enforcement

  • of the conditions more meaningful.

  • There will continue to be a very high level of environmental protection oversight for

  • forestry operations in New South Wales as we go through with the remake.

  • In relation to an update on the progress and the timeframes, I am happy to take that part

  • of the question on notice and come back to the member.

Ms JAN BARHAM: My question without notice is directed to the Minister for Primary Industries,

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