Under the Tasmanian Community Forestry Agreement (TCFA), the Australian and Tasmanian governments committed over $250 million to enhance the protection of Tasmania's forest environment and assist the Tasmanian forest industry adjust to changes in forest resources. Core to this was the three industry development programs that were available under the TCFA; the Tasmanian Forest Industry Development Program, the Tasmanian Softwood Industry Development Program, and the Tasmanian Country Sawmills Assistance Program which ran from 2006 until 2009.
These programs are now closed.
2006–2009 Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement Industry Development Program (TCFA IDP)
Tasmanian Forest Industry Development Program
Under the Tasmanian Forest Industry Development Program, the Australian Government provided $42 million to assist the Tasmanian native timber industry. Specifically, the program contributed financial assistance for 62 projects which contributed over $160 million of new investment across the harvesting and processing sectors of the native hardwood industry. These projects improved sawlog utilisation rates, added value to Tasmanian forest resources, developed new products, upgraded harvesting equipment, promoted exports, and supported employment.
Tasmanian Softwood Industry Development Program
Under the Tasmanian Softwood Industry Development Program, the Australian Government provided $10 million to 16 projects to assist the Tasmanian softwood timber industry to invest in projects worth over $50 million that added value to Tasmanian softwood timber industry. This included upgrading harvesting equipment, introducing new technology, improving silvicultural management and assisting the softwood industry to adjust to an anticipated reduction in softwood sawlog supply.
Tasmanian Country Sawmills Assistance Program
The Australian Government also committed an additional $4 million under the Tasmanian Country Sawmills Assistance Program to assist country sawmillers to adjust to changes in forest resources arising from the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement. This program provided financial assistance for 20 projects worth over $6 million which have improved sawlog utilisation rates, added value to Tasmanian forest resources, developed new products, promoted exports and supported long–term employment.
Procedural Guidelines for the Treatment of Asset Disposal
Each project’s funding deed under the TCFA IDP contained clauses that set out the obligations and responsibilities of the grant recipient and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry when the use and/or ownership of an asset changes. The procedures for treatment of assets to be disposed of under the TCFA IDP provide procedural guidelines for ongoing management in this regard.
2010 Ernst and Young Evaluation of the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement Industry Development Program Report
An independent audit and evaluation of the TCFA IDP programs was conducted in accordance with the Australian and Tasmanian Governments’ joint response to the second five–year review of the Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement. The report was prepared by Ernst & Young and includes six recommendations, all of which have been accepted by the Department.
This report is offered in two formats for accessibility purposes.
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| Document | Pages | File size |
|---|---|---|
Evaluation of the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement Industry Development Program PDF  |
32 | 493 KB |
Evaluation of the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement Industry Development Program DOC  |
32 | 657 KB |
Note: This publication was not prepared by the department and may not meet Australian Government accessibility guidelines. If you require an accessible version of the publication, please contact its author.
Departmental Review of 2010 Ernst and Young ‘Evaluation of the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement Industry Development Program’ Report
In May 2013, the department completed a comprehensive review of the findings of the Ernst and Young audit of the TCFA IDP. This report is offered in two formats for accessibility purposes.
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If you have difficulty accessing these files, please visit web accessibility.
Freedom of Information requests
The department received an FOI request (ref: FOI 2012/13–59) for access to email advice related to the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement Industry Development Program.
The department received an FOI request (ref: FOI 2011/12–35) seeking access to documents in relation to Deeds of Agreement made between the Commonwealth and grant recipients under the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement from 2005 to 2007.
Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) are available in the department's FOI disclosure log.