MPs blast "inadequate" timber compensation

The state government's compensation package for native hardwood timber contractors and workers has again been slammed by two Gippsland politicians.
Member for Eastern Victoria Melina Bath and Member for Morwell Martin Cameron, both of The Nationals, stepped up their criticisms after a meeting with the managing director of ANC Forestry Darryl Hutton.
The government will ban native timber harvesting in just days from the start of next month, six years earlier than it had previously stated.
In addition to what they called paltry compensation from the state government, the two MPs said the federal government should also play a role by delivering a fairer tax regime on employee redundancy payments.
Ms Bath, who is the Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Public Land Use, said former Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews had stated the government would "deliver a managed transition to support every worker and every business because we'll never leave them to go it alone".
However, she stated the compensation was anything but fair and "had left contractors, their workers and families bereft".
Ms Bath also claimed that Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan had failed to honour a commitment she made to meet with Australian Forestry Contractors Association to negotiate compensation.
Mr Cameron and Ms Bath said a "so called package" was presented on the final Friday of the final sitting week of state parliament this year to avoid scrutiny.
They said harvest contractors were offered only 30 cents in the dollar and haulage contractors 50 cents in the dollar on existing agreements.
Contractors that choose to transfer to Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Change firefighting receive nothing and employees' redundancy payments have been substantially diminished without an assurance that lump sum redundancy payments would not be adversely affected by taxation, they said.
The package is a complete cop out, Ms Bath and Mr Cameron stated.