The Australian government has promised to crack down on companies bringing illegally logged timber into the country by creating criminal offences to punish importers caught in the act.
The illegal logging policy has been a long-standing promise from the Labor party, which went to the 2007 election saying it would ”seek to ban” illegal timber imports.
It is estimated about 10% of Australia’s wood product imports come from illegal logging.
Now facing another election this year, the Labor government has said it would create criminal and civil offences for illegal timber imports that could carry fines and jail terms.
It would also require suppliers of timber to complete a ”trade description” identifying key elements of the wood product being imported. The promise also includes implementing a code of conduct for suppliers, requiring them to carry out proper tests to ensure their imports are from legal sources. The code would apply only to the suppliers who first put the timber on the Australian market.
The laws would cover sawn timber, wood panels, furniture, and pulp and paper. It follows timber’s inclusion in the US’s Lacey Act and the European parliament’s plans to introduce measures in 2012.
The commitment has been welcomed by Greenpeace.
