THIS PAGE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 2004 & DETAILS MAY HAVE DATED CONSIDERABLE.
These recent photographs taken in December 2004 show hundreds of new red gum sleepers lining Kilometres of suburban rail track at Carnegie and Noble Park, Melbourne. This just goes to show that the Labor government continues to ignore its own rhetoric on sustainable development.
For years the Victorian & the New South Wales National Parks Associations and Environment Victoria have been calling on the Victorian and the New South Wales Governments to halt the use of red gum rail sleepers in favour of concrete. While the Victorian Government continues maintaining its own environmental rhetoric on looking after red gums south of the Murray, and heralding its efforts to repair the troubled Murray River system, it perpetuates the problems of forest destruction, increasing salinity and poor water flows across the border in NSW. The Parks Association estimates about 44,000 red gum sleepers, cut from private land near the NSW Millewa state forest have already been used in the recent Bairnsdale railway line up-grade. The Victorian Department of Infrastructure requires a further 250.000 or more red gum sleepers for future projects, and that is likely to be sourced from New South Wales private lands.
Most of the sleepers used in Victoria are presently sourced from NSW. They are cut from private land with little or no accountability to any level of government. This is the cheapest method of acquiring the timber. It is easy because once they buy the rights to take the timber from the landholders, there are almost no restrictions. Neither contractors nor landholders have to inform the government about the type of timber or the volume they remove. Most of the timber they remove is red gum.
Do these facts mean that that the Victorian Government can wash its hands of the environmental destructions they cause by the felling of red gums in another State? The Murray Darling River System is in serious trouble with declining water flows and water quality through increasing salinity levels. Both Victorian and NSW Governments knows this!, and they know what the causes of salinity are; year ten students could tell them that! Be in no doubt, this mass clearing of trees in the NSW inland forests will have a detrimental affect on Victorian farmers in downstream Victoria.
The sad thing about this saga is that there is a viable off-the-shelf alternative to timber sleepers. One of the largest concrete railway sleeper producers in the country has stated that its products outlast timber by at least three times. Throughout the world, concrete sleepers are recognised as a far superior product to hardwood, with ongoing maintenance costs of around one third of that of timber. The operational life of most red gum sleepers these days can be as low as 15 years, compared to concrete sleepers that will last about 50 years. Recycled plastic sleepers are also available, and these can be spliced into existing tracks to replace worn-out timber sleepers - ideal for track repairs.
At the time this page was written red gum sleepers usually cost around $40 but need metal plates, spikes and spike holes drilled. A concrete sleeper manufacturer has stated that a concrete sleeper costs about $60 with all those features pre-cast. They also last at least three to four times longer than timber, so concrete beats red gum not only environmentally, but economically. Plus, concrete sleepers are recyclable at the end of their life.
Information from the National Parks Association of NSW Inc.
River Red Gum sleepers ironically lay next to a group of remnant River Red Gums near Sandown Rail Station, Melbourne 12/2004. These sleepers were once mighty trees; some maybe 200 to 400 years old, with many hollows used as nesting sites for our bird life. With so many animal and plant species from our inland forest on the endangered list, it is madness to continue the clearing of red gum woodland for sleepers whilst concrete or recycled plastic sleepers could be used.
SOUR GRAPES FROM VAFI & NAFI ..... Thursday, 22 June 2006
NSW and Victorian Timber Industry `rail-roaded' by sleeper decision
The NSW and Victorian timber industry is dismayed by the Federal and NSW Governments' recent budget funding announcements which will destroy the NSW timber industry through major reductions in timber sleeper production. The Federal and NSW Budgets have allocated $680 million towards upgrading the North-South rail link between Brisbane and Melbourne. The Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has announced these upgrades will use concrete sleepers in preference to timber sleepers.
National Association of Forests Industries CEO, Catherine Murphy says “a large number of timber mills in the Riverina and North Coast of NSW have, over the past 2 years, invested more than $10 million in mill upgrades for the production of sleepers to meet the ARTC's requirements. They have built a production base able to achieve the indicated 400,000 sleepers required each year which is worth over $17 million to rural Australia.”“We understand the ARTC have advised sleeper producers that requests for timber sleepers are to be halted immediately. Approximately 70 small saw mills, and several larger mills on the North Coast, and many river red gum operations along the Murray in NSW and Victoria currently produce hardwood sleepers. Over 600 direct and 1200 indirect jobs are expected to be lost from these mills as a result of this decision,” said Mrs Murphy.
“The many environmental advantages of using timber sleepers over concrete have also been overlooked in making this decision. The production of 1.3 million concrete sleepers per year will result in the release of thousands of tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Why are the Federal and NSW Governments spending tax payers money on promoting products with less environmental credentials than timber?
“Timber is an environmentally friendly and renewable resource, sourced from sustainably managed forests. Timber sleepers store carbon for significant periods of time and many are recycled for landscaping purposes. “Rail track maintenance work is also more flexible through the use of timber sleepers as whole sections of track do not have to be replaced and expensive equipment is not necessary for maintenance work,” said Mrs Murphy.
“NAFI, the New South Wales and Victorian timber industry demand that the Federal and NSW Governments work with the ARTC to reverse this decision as it will not only have serious impacts on industry and rural and regional communities, but there will be serious environmental implications through an increase in greenhouse gas emissions,” said Mrs Murphy.
ENDS Contact: Greg Haraldson (02) 6285 3833, 0419 465 328 / Thursday, 22 June 2006
NAFI National Association of Forest Industries Forest Industries House, Deakin, Canberra
Media Release 25 May, 2006
NSW Government broken promises on logging sparks Statewide campaign
A series of broken promises by the Iemma Government to control logging on private land across NSW has sparked a Statewide campaign by environment groups, which was launched today at Parliament House.
A loophole in NSW legislation has allowed loggers to exploit Iconic River Red Gums along the Murray River and sell them in Victoria for cheap products such as garden woodchips, firewood and railway sleepers.
“More than four million hectares of native forests and woodlands are vulnerable to logging on private land in NSW and despite promising twice to regulate this since 2003, the NSW Government has failed to act,” Andrew Cox, executive officer from the National Parks Association of NSW said.
“This is an important threshold issue in judging the environment performance of the Iemma Government. Strict controls on private logging are way overdue and the combined environment groups have called for a Code of Practice by the end of June.”Postcards have been distributed to cafes and community centres across NSW as part of the campaign, with hundreds being returned to the Premier’s office in the past two weeks.
The North East Forest Alliance, Nature Conservation Council of NSW and National Parks Association of NSW have also recently distributed River Red Gum seedlings and an enviro-bag of information on the issue, including photographs of recent logging, to NSW MPs.
“Forests of outstanding conservation value, such as world heritage rainforests and old growth forests, that would be protected forever if they were on public land, are subject to all out destruction as a result of uncontrolled logging on private land” Carmel Flint, from the North East Forest Alliance said.
“It is an absolute disgrace that that there are virtually no rules whatsoever to control an activity such as logging that is known to have such a severe environmental impact. Habitat for threatened species such as the Koala, Barking Owl and Squirrel Glider is being destroyed at an alarming rate while the NSW Government sits on its hands,” Ms Flint said.
Further information:
Andrew Cox, NPA Executive Officer, 0438 588 040
