Forestry's transition has 'decimated' Gippsland's small towns [AU]

Forestry's transition has 'decimated' Gippsland's small towns [AU]

Friday 3 Jul 2026

As the Victorian Forestry Transition Program comes to a close, some residents in regions that relied on the timber trade are questioning what has been done to build a replacement economy. The state government's transition program ended this week, two-and-a-half years after Victoria's native logging industry was brought to an end with the flourish of a pen.

The government committed $1.5 billion to support the transition, including $320 million to the Forestry Transition Program to provide financial support for affected workers, businesses and communities. But some residents remain unconvinced enough has been done to replace the jobs lost.

Mick Harrington's family worked in the timber industry for three generations: harvesting, processing, and transporting lumber from Gippsland's bountiful, verdant forests around Stratford. But Mr Harrington, a former timber worker, does not harvest native timber anymore. Nor does he work in a mill. That industry is gone locally.

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Source: ABC News
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

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