Forest and wilderness discourses have dominated recent Australian environmental politics. This dissertation presents a case study of the contested forests of East Gippsland, Victoria since 1968. This case reflects the major elements of a new kind of politics developed by the advent of contemporary environmentalism and the new governing of `nature'.

The dissertation has three research objectives: first, to develop a theoretical and methodological framework in which to study environmental conflict; second, to produce a descriptive and interpretive study of East Gippsland forest conflict; and third, to assess outcomes and current prospects facing East Gippsland and suggest an alternative direction.

Environmentalism and environmental conflict are seen as part of the `new politics' built on new social movements supported by a new class of professionally-trained workers, usually in state human service employment. This `new politics' opposes negative elements of advanced industrial society. Environmentalists campaign for the preservation of forests against the forces of resourcism (wood extraction). The politicisation of the forests represents a struggle for power, about which discourse will install a `regime of `truth' governing the forests. Theoretically, power is understood in Michel Foucault's terms, as a facilitative technique based on discourse and discursive conflict. Modern power centres on the discursive nature of `government'.

Using an historical narrative method, the case study demonstrates the critical deployment of discourses around the contested issues of woodchipping, national parks, sustainability and forest employment. These issues dominated the rapid growth in governmental inquiry and knowledge production. After numerous public discursive designs, official discourses attempted settlement of the forest conflicts by the take-over and alteration of both major discourses. Preservation is provided in a National system of conservation reserves, and wood extraction is permitted in forests outside the reserves. With export woodchipping set to expand in East Gippsland.

This division of the forests is based on the political balancing of powerful claims but in the longer term may not protect the integrity of the forests. It has had substantial distributional impacts on workers. An alternative proposal is advanced which aims at restoring degraded forests in East Gippsland and using the salvaged wood in value-adding developments. This proposal provides more secure forest employment, whilst cutting the extraction rate by greater than half presently proposed.

Contested native forests: context of the dissertation

Statement of the thesis

Statement of the theoretical and empirical orientation

Objectives of the research study

Limitations

Structure of dissertation

Introduction

Forestry and wilderness in Australian environmental politics

Environmentalism and `naturalism'

Resourcism: wood exploitation in native forests

Aboriginal use and contested history: the nature of Australian `nature'

Environmental politics and social justice

Summary

Introduction

The `New Politics'

Social Movements

The Question of Class

Summary

Introduction

Conventional theories of power

Power and discourse: the approach of Foucault

Problematics of government

Methodological considerations

Summary

Introduction

The East Gippsland timber industry

The 1960s: changes in native forest wood production

The environmental challenge and the Little Desert case

The `Green' critique of wood forestry

Conclusion

Introduction

Woodchipping and resource politics

The Lands Conservation Council: making parks in timber country

Sustainability: the politics of resource estimates

The push on woodchipping

Widening the `Green' campaign

Conclusion

Introduction

The election of Labor

Direct action over the forests

The politics of resource estimation and production options

Discursive designs of the state and the employment question

Conclusion

Introduction

A strategy for the timber industry

The resource politics of woodchipping in East Gippsland

What is a sawlog? - what is a pulplog?

The `Greens' campaign and the move towards a national forest politics

Conclusion

Introduction

Summary of outcomes

A proposal for change

I certify that:

This work has not been submitted, in whole or part, to qualify for any other academic award;

The work contained in the dissertation has been undertaken since the commencement of the research program;

This dissertation is the work of the present author, except for the data analysis/projections of wood processing and employment in Table 9.1, which was jointly undertaken by the present author and Gary Waugh (CSIRO) and formed part of a paper presented by the present author to the ALP Caucus Forest Committee, Parliament House, Canberra, October 1995.

Signed:

This work is dedicated to: my parents PATRICIA DELANEY AND PATRICK MORGAN and my best friend ROBYN HULL

I wish to record my sincere thanks to the following: My external supervisor/consultant Gary Waugh (CSIRO), for his continuing interest and insight into the world of `wood politics'. Trevor Andrews for permission to use his company's research data. To all who gave time to be interviewed. To Robyn Hull who with long patience, read and corrected the text. To all the members of my family and to other special people who supported me. Special thanks to Judy Rogers, John Patrick McMullan, David Marsh and Len Handsjuk.

Map 1.1 Study area

Table 2.1 Industrial structure of native forest production

Map 6.1 Pulpwood concessions - APM, HDA, and uncommitted resources in Eastern Division

Map 6.2 Park proposals for East Gippsland by the NAFC 1982

Map 7.1 National park demands for East Gippsland August 1982

Figure 7.1 Sawlog production options and sawlog volumes for Victoria

Figure 7.2 Wood production options for East Gippsland

Table 7.1 Employment impacts of wood production options for East Gippsland

Figure 7.3 Ferguson's sawlog forcast and options for East Gippsland

Map 7.2 National park demands for East Gippsland - 1985

Table 7.2 Industry newspaper advertisement- March 1986

Figure 7.4 The LCC's sawlog options for East Gippsland

Table 7.3 NIEIR's employment impact projections of the LCC's findings and recommendations for East Gippsland

Figure 8.1 The Value Adding Utilisation System

Map 8.1 New national parks and national estate claims East Gippsland - 1986

Figure 9.1 Campaign image used by the environment movement

Figure 9.2 Progress in preservation 1974-1996

Table 9.1 Employment projections for sawing pulp/woodchip logs

ACF Australian Conservation Council

ALP Australian Labor Party

APM Australian Paper Manufactures P/L

CARC Cutting Area Review Committee

CCV Conservation Council of Victoria

DCFL Department of Conservation Forest and Lands (renamed)

DCE Department of Conservation and Environment (renamed)

DCNR Department of Conservation and Natural Resources

EES Environmental Effects Statement

EGC East Gippsland Coalition

FCV Forest Commission of Victoria

GPP Gippsland Pulp and Paper P/L

HDA Harris-Daishowa (Australia) P/L

IGAE Inter-Governmental Agreement on the Environment

JCG Joint Conservation Groups

LLC Lands Conservation Council

MPE Ministry of Planning and Environment

NAFI National Association of Forest Industries

NBH North Broken Hill Limited

NFAC Native Forest Action Council

NFPS National Forest Policy Statement

NIEIR National Institute for Economic and Industrial Research 

RAC Resource Assessment Commission

TIS Timber Industry Strategy

VAUS Value Adding Utilisation System

VSA Victorian Sawmillers Association