November 2008: Maryvale mill yard chocked full of pulp logs, including those from Strzelecki Rainforest Reserve.
Kick Reflex out of Native Forests - Boycott Woodchipping Campaign Launch 27th Feb 2010.
Join us for the launch of the campaign to kick Reflex out of our native forests, and tell Maryvale Mill parent company Nippon Paper, that our ancient forests and water catchments are too precious to pulp. Japanese paper giant Nippon Paper, in 2009, purchased the Maryvale Mill, where seven of every ten trees logged in Central Gippsland, Strzelecki Ranges and the Central Highlands are pulped for the manufacture of paper products, including Reflex paper. These forests are vital habitat for threatened species, water catchments for both local communities and Melbourne, and if left intact, are safe and efficient carbon banks in a time of climate crisis. It is time to protect these forests and kick the woodchipping companies out. The launch of the 'Kick Reflex out of native forests' will take place in Gippsland on Saturday February the 27th 2010. The day will include speakers, bands BBQ and community picnic, as well as the vital point of community presence on site where Nippon woodchipping takes place. Costumes, banners and props very welcome. Transport: As it is 132km from Melbourne, and not within proximity of the train line, transport is easiest via carpooling and the handy Foe bus. The bus will depart Collingwood at 9am, and return later the same day. We're looking for help in the lead up to Feb 27th and on the day. If you're able to help, please contact kick.reflex@gmail.com
Dec 10 2009: Crunch Time For Region As Paper Mill Winds Up
Dec 8 2009: PaperlinX Closes Two Mills Keeps the Third On Life Support
Dec 7 2009: PaperlinX Exits Manufacturing
New Information on Logging of Melbourne's Water Supply
Aug 31 2009: PaperlinX Slumps To A Loss On Writedowns
June 16 2009: Australia Home to World Forest Carbon Winner
June 3 2009: Nippon Paper to Upgrade Mill
June 1 2009: New Owners of Australian Paper to Face Customer Backlash
March 29 2009: Melbourne Age. Conservationists Slam Logging Backflip
March 18 2009: $600 million blow from timber losses
Feb 17 2009: Nippon buys into Logging Controversy
Information on Nippon Paper
Feb 17 2009: Nippon Paper Buys Maryvale Mill
Feb 13 2009: Hancock (FSC supplier to Maryvale) starts logging site of National Conservation Significance at College Creek
Source (above): Age Newspaper Dec 20 2008 p28
Sep 26 2008: More on PaperlinX mills for sale
Sep 25 2008: Equity Issue Spells Downgrade For PaperlinX
Sep 2008: Massive Plantation Shortfall on the Cards for Maryvale Pulp Mill
Aug 26, 2008: Paper Company Fined Over Worker's Death
Aug 25, 2008: Paper Giant Seeks Buyer for Maryvale Mill
Age article Aug 22, 2008 "PaperlinX pens plan to sell manufacturing arm"
PAPERLINX is seeking investors to buy all or part of its paper manufacturing arm as part of a strategy to boost its performance after a lacklustre result. A further two-month delay that adds an extra 10% to the cost of the Maryvale pulp mill will also defer the expected benefits from the project. PaperlinX announced a profit after tax for the year to June 30 of $72.2 million, 10% below last year's $80.1 million. Sales revenue fell 4.5% to $7.49 billion from $7.84 billion due to lower sales volumes and the high $A. The market trounced the stock, with PaperlinX's shares closing 27.5˘, or 13.1% lower, at $1.825. They have lost 31.4% in value this year. "Clearly these results are not where we would like them to be," said PaperlinX chief executive Tom Park. The rising currency and input costs continued to hit manufacturing despite good work on brand growth, and improvements in operations efficiency and the supply chain, he said. Paper manufacturing had an earnings loss of $1.9 million compared with positive earnings of $10.2 million the previous year. "Merchant profits came under pressure in the second half, particularly in the weak US and UK markets," he said. Mr Park said he wanted investors who could create more value for Australian Paper than PaperlinX could. "Interested parties are currently performing due diligence. No decision has been made at present," he said. Mr Park said the benefits of the $340 million capital expenditure on the pulp mill upgrade would flow with completion of the project. The strategic initiatives would deliver a $125 million benefit from the 2005 base year, up from the $81 million achieved this year. Mr Park said extra steps to repair the balance sheet included a cost-cutting and fuel recovery plan that would save $30 million, and selling the rest of the company's European property. Deutsche Bank analyst Mark Wilson said the profit was of low quality, and any sale of Australian Paper was likely to be below book value of $1.1 billion.
July 31 2008: Noise Chips Away At PatienceJune 2008: Wilderness Society and Victorian National Parks Association Used as Corporate Patsies in $5.5 million Strzelecki Rainforest Destruction Deal
May 31 2008: Strzelecki Rainforest Reserve to be gutted to supply Maryvale Pulp Mill with pulpwood for only two years
May 08: International based website highlights Strzelecki Rainforest Sham
Jan 08: Vic Forests End up as Copy Paper
May 08: Australian Paper sourcing from Strzelecki Rainforest Reserve for past 19 months!
Dec 07: F.S.C. Watch article
Dec 07: Yarra Ranges Shire upset with PaperlinX and logging in Melbourne's drinking water supplies here and here
Dec 07: Logging in Armstrong Catchment - Melbourne's water supply
Aug 07: State's emblem nearly extinct
Reflex Copy Paper gains Forest Stewardship Council Mixed Sources Certification in July 06, but the certification totally ignores the native forest sources that are currently feeding the Maryale Pulp Mill.
Nov 06: New interactive website targets PaperlinX
Oct 06: 4 Corners exposes The A-Team and shafts Friends of Gippsland Bush
April 06: 65% of PaperlinX's fibre needs are currently certified by the supposed reputable Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). These plantations are managed by Grand Ridge Plantations. Major management problems are now giving rise to concerns that Grand Ridge Plantations may lose their FSC certification, meaning that PaperlinX will lose valuable market acceptance for their paper products. Grand Ridge Plantations are continuing to threaten Strzelecki Rainforest Communities and are planning to log futureStrzelecki conservation reserves in July 2006. In July 2007 FSC's reputation was further tarnished by granting Reflex Copy Paper a Mixed Sources Certification. Only problem is that the mixed sources certification does not take into account any of the native forest fibre that is still making its way to Maryvale from the Central Highlands and Melbourne's Water supplies.
Baw Baw Frog Emergency
October 2005: Latest Strzelecki Updates here
Strzelecki Koala facing extinction? See here for Friends of the Earth report.
September 2005: PaperlinX apologise for tasteless ads. (according to The Age Newspaper 20/9/05 this furore made front page of Instanbul's Hurriyet).
APOLOGY
REFLEX RECYCLED MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT - CHERNAGOVIA
"The manufacturer of Reflex Recycled paper unreservedly apologises to anyone who may have been offended by its recent advertisement, based on the mythical country of ‘Chernagovia.’ The advertisement was in no way directed at people from any country or particular ethnic background, nor was it intended to bear similarity to any particular group of people.
Most particularly, we did not wish to inadvertently cause offence to the Turkish people for whom we have great respect and with whom Australians share a long and significant history characterised by the events at Gallipoli.
The fact that the models in the advertisement were members of the Turkish community in Melbourne was entirely coincidental and unintentional.
The idea of creating an obscure Beatles tribute band from a mythical country ‘Chernagovia’, was designed to highlight an important issue in a light hearted way. Australia is importing waste paper from overseas, yet it is only by choosing papers which use Australian waste that our landfill is reduced. Reflex Recycled contains Australian waste fibre which reduces Australian landfill.
Recycled paper is not, to our knowledge, imported from Turkey.
Once again, we fully and unequivocally apologise for any offence the advertisement may have caused to the Turkish people and any other people.
Reflex Recycled has successfully withdrawn the advertisement from five Australianpublications in which it was due to appear over the next month."
Maryvale Mill Expansion Summary (FoE Melb)
July 2005; PaperlinX propose to rebuild bleached pulp facility at Maryvale. PaperlinX's logging of native forest to increase by almost 50% (200,000 m3) to meet new demand. 22,800 ha gross hardwood plantations needed to meet new demand for pulp facility. New plantations won't be ready until 2019. see here for application to Federal Government.
50% increase in native forest woodchipping, massive plantation expansion, switch to Elemental Chlorine Free Bleaching.
August 2005
For full details of the proposal go to;
http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/epbc/epbc_ap.pl?name=show_document&document_id=19148&proposal_id=2234
* PaperlinX will rebuild the bleached pulp manufacturing facilities within existing Maryvale mill.
*Will increase amount of bleached pine and eucalypt pulp at Maryvale to 210,000 tonnes annually.
*Maryvale currently produces 2/3rd's (140,000 t/yr) of its bleached pulp requirements, with the balance made up of imports (70,000 t/yr – worth about $80 million per year).
*Expansion will require 200,000 m3/yr of additional eucalypt pulpwood (depending on the pulpwood age and species) and 200,000 m3/yr of additional pine. Residual wood will come from State Forests, pine from existing plantations. State Forest sources may include Central Highlands, East Gippsland, North East and Gippsland regions.
*For existing bleached pulp production to move to 100% plantation supply, a further 150,000 m3/yr of eucalypt plantation would be required to replace present State Forest residual wood. (An additional plantation expansion of 13,000 ha). This apparently is not included in the current referral.
*Maryvale currently has a licence under the 1996 Amcor Wood Pulp Agreement Act of 450,000 m3/yr from native forests. The Wood Pulp Act ends in 2030 with native forest logging being reduced to 350,000m3/yr in 2030. The current pulp manufacturing expansion will therefore require almost 50% more native forest than the mill currently consumes. Total native forest consumption will therefore increase to 650,000m3/yr.
*The upgrade will eventually source from hardwood plantations, with first harvest occurring at 2019. The hardwood required is a "transitional supply".
*22,800 net ha of hardwood plantations (gross) will need to be established within 150 km radius of Maryvale, established at a rate of 2100 ha/year gross until the total required amount is established by 2019 – However it would appear that native forests won't be entirely eliminated until 2030 when the last of the established plantations is old enough to log.
*22, 800 net ha of new hardwood will consume about 45,000 ML of water per year more than existing pasture. This could have ramifications for the Gippsland Lakes including impacts of chemicals including spray drift. Eg Simazine used at 6kg per hectare x 2100 ha = 12,600kg. (12tonnes per year) – A suite of fertilisers, 5-6 herbicides and insecticides will also be used in the plantations which will most likely be managed by Midway Plantations Pty Ltd. Midway have come under criticism in the Otways and south west Victoria regarding their plantation management.
*The mill will be upgraded to Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF). ECF bleaching avoids use of chlorine gas by substituting chlorine dioxide as the main bleaching agent, often preceded by oxygen delignification. Effluents contain less total organochlorine and are less toxic than those produced by chorine gas.
*Chlorine use is now 10t/day (3650 t/yr). Chlorine emissions will be substantially reduced.
*No discharges into Latrobe River. Waste will be discharged into Gippsland Water trade waste system which is piped to Dutson Downs, treated and then discharged via the 1.2km outfall at Delray Beach.
*Water use will increase from 63 ML/day (22995
ML/yr) to possibly 68ML/day. (24820 ML/yr) Water is currently sourced
from Moondara Reservoir.
World Class Mill Plan - Latrobe Valley Express 19/4/04 p1.
Prime Minister John Howard has announced $500,000 in Federal Government funding for Australian Paper to conduct a feasibility study into a world leading pulp mill at Maryvale.
The mill, if it goes ahead, would have the potential to inject more than $500 million into the local economy and create a large number of new jobs.
Speculation on a project of this magnitude surfaced over 12 months ago but at the time, The Express was unable to get any firm details.
Mr Howard made the announcement this morning after arriving in Sale for his day long Gippsland visit which includes a luncheon in Traralgon to raise money for Latrobe Regional Hospital's new cancer centre and an inspection of Traralgon Secondary College.
Mr Howard congratulated Australian Paper on its long standing commitment to the Latrobe Valley and its forward-looking proposal to expand locally.
Nationals MHR for Gippsland Peter McGauran also welcomed the funding, describing it as "holding out great potential" for the future of the Latrobe Valley's environment and economy.
"The feasilibility study will examine the possibility of establishing a new mill at Australia's paper Maryvale site" Mr McGauran said. "The proposed mill would incorporate world-leading technology to provide energy efficient methods of production and to maximise renewable energy generation. The new mill would meet best-practice standards for environmental emissions and discharges, leading to even higher environmental standards at Maryvale."
Mr McGauran said Australian Paper had a long history in the Latrobe Valley and was a "strong supporter" of the local economy, employing more than 1000 people and providing ongoing community involvement and sponsorship..."
Logging protests: Acheron Valley Jan/Feb 04: Click here
Logging Protests: Thomson River Catchment Jan 04: See Here
- October '03 -
- November '02 -
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EPA publish report on Tyers River Catchment
In PDF form (get acrobat reader here)
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Central Highlands Updates
The photographs below were taken at a coupe located approx 8km from Starlings Gap (south of Warburton) along Big Creek Road within the Starvation Creek Catchment for Melbourne Water. This coupe also is within the Amcor Concession area. Road 6 runs through this coupe and it can be located on Topographic Map 8022-2-4 titled Ada River. Its bearings are 37 degrees, 47 minutes and 30 seconds south latitude/145 degrees, 51 minutes east Longitude
In the series of photos below, the whole hill top has been clearfelled. It adjoins other coupes and backs onto a stream that is nearby (Tin Mine Creek).
Its location is north-east of Powelltown on Monett Road (adjacent the intersection of Blackwood Gully Road, approx 5km from Powelltown). The map reference is titleed Ada River 8022-2-4 and its bearings are 37degrees, 51 minutes south latitude/145 degrees, 46 minutes east longitude. The spot elevation '454' marks precisely where it is.
