Voters in five key battleground seats have backed an end to native forest logging while strongly supporting investment in new timber plantations, wood product manufacturing and funding for forest management jobs, including improved fire management.
New Pyxis Polling & Insights research in the marginal seats that could decide this year's federal election shows voters clearly support a new and updated National Forest Policy, with the existing National Forest Policy Statement introduced in 1992 and desperately in need of an overhaul.
One of Australia’s most respected polling companies which is responsible for Newspoll, Pyxis, conducted polling across NSW, Queensland and Tasmania in the federal seats of Richmond, Eden-Monaro, Griffith, Brisbane and Lyons in December 2024.
The polling was commissioned by the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation as part of its new Forest Futures campaign. The campaign is seeking policy commitments from all candidates and parties in the upcoming Federal election in support a new approach to protect the environmental and carbon values of native forests and to support a rapid transition to a100% plantation-based forestry industry.
The campaign is supported by a multi-million-dollar public awareness campaign which commenced on the 10th of January 2025. The polling found three-quarters of voters in Griffith (76%) and Brisbane (74%) support ending native forest logging on public land and sourcing timber only from plantations. In the NSW North Coast seat of Richmond, support for ending native forest logging is at 72%, while 60% of voters in Eden-Monaro back the proposal. In the Tasmanian seat of Lyons, almost six in 10 (58%) voters support ending native forest logging.
"Voters in five key marginal seats that could shape the outcome of a knife-edge election are overwhelmingly in support of the next Australian Government making a long overdue plan to move away from native forest logging and invest in an entirely plantation-based forest industry,” Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation Executive Director Lyndon Schneiders said. “Already 87% of wood harvested in Australia comes from plantations and native forest wood production has declined 80% since 2004.”
"The polling clearly demonstrates that Australians support a transition away from native forest logging. With the right policy settings, new jobs can be created through investing in more plantations, increasing the value-add of wood products through manufacturing, including through prefabricated housing and through improved native forest protection and management funded through the sale of carbon credits.”
"Voters clearly understand that supporting the plantation industry is the future, not native logging. Since 2004, logging in native forests has declined by 80% and is now banned in Victoria and Western Australia,” Schneiders said.
"There's a clear message to all candidates and parties here: voters want the Australian government to invest in our plantation timber industry to help build the homes we need to end the housing crisis while also funding more jobs in forest management, including protection against catastrophic bushfires,” Schneiders said.
More than 85% of all voters polled support the Australian Government funding workers to undertake fire and environmental management in public-owned native forests. In Eden-Monaro, there is 89% support for more forest management jobs.
The polling shows consistently high support for government incentives for the plantation timber industry and jobs within plantation forestry, with support ranging from 82% to 85% across the five seats.
"Logging our native forests places further pressure on endangered species including the Koala, the Swift Parrot and the Greater Glider. Logging releases greenhouse gas emissions and overwhelmingly (76%) ends up in low value products including woodchips. It is an economic and environmental failure that costs taxpayers millions of dollars each year and inhibits our ability to reduce carbon emissions."
“What is clear from these polling results is that forestry communities and urban communities want a new approach that protects the environmental and carbon values of native forests and which supports a plantation-based forestry industry that we can all be proud of and which provides real jobs in the regions.”
About Forest Futures and the Australian Biodiversity and Climate Foundation
ACBF’s Forest Futures campaign seeks policy commitments from all candidates and parties in the upcoming federal election to support a new approach to protect the environmental and carbon values of native forests and to support a rapid transition to a100% plantation-based forestry industry.
This poll was conducted according to Australian Polling Council quality standards. More information can be found here: FAQ for Journalists — Australian Polling Council