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For timber and hardware merchants investing in their people, new figures from the Housing Industry Association (HIA) highlight a simple reality that apprenticeships deliver real financial benefits from day one. Source: Timberbiz Unlike university pathways, apprentices and trainees earn while they learn. That means a steady income from the outset, often supported by fee-free TAFE, and no HECS-style debt hanging over them at the end of their training. The numbers tell the story. While a university student can face annual study costs of around $17,000, a carpentry apprentice can earn between $39,000 and $42,000 by their second year. Over a typical three- to four-year training period, that creates a financial gap of at least $50,000 in favour of the trade pathway. For workers in the timber and hardware sector, that is a strong incentive to take up or complete an apprenticeship and for employers, it is a clear value-add when attracting and retaining staff. The benefits don’t stop once the qualification is finished. HIA data shows qualified tradespeople can go on to earn salaries in the $80,000 to $95,000 range – on par with many degree-qualified roles. NTHA’s General Manager for the GTO, RTO, Melissa Clark says the recent data highlights exactly why apprenticeships are such a valuable pathway, offering people the chance to earn, gain real skills, and avoid significant debt while building a strong career. “From my perspective, it reinforces the importance of employers continuing to invest in apprenticeships as a practical and sustainable way to develop and retain a skilled workforce, particularly in the Timber Industry,” Ms Clark said. For merchants supporting apprentices through industry programs, the message is clear apprenticeships aren’t just good for skills, they make solid financial sense for workers. In a market where skilled labour remains tight, offering a pathway that combines income, training and long-term earning potential is proving to be a smart move for both employees and the businesses backing them.

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FSC Australian and New Zealand-based members are encouraged to attend the FSC Annual General Meeting of Responsible Forest Management Australia Limited (FSC Australia), followed by a membership engagement event. This hybrid event allows members to attend in person or online. Source: Timberbiz The Annual General Meeting of Responsible Forest Management Australia Limited will be held on Thursday, 28 May, followed by a membership engagement event. The day will begin with the Annual General Meeting, which will provide an overview of the past year for FSC ANZ, key achievements, and priorities ahead. Following the AGM, members are invited to stay for a series of engaging sessions featuring guest speakers, as well as opportunities to network and connect with fellow members from across the sector. Update on the Australian Forest Stewardship Standard Revision The second draft of the revised Forest Stewardship Standard will have been released for consultation prior to the AGM and field-tested in forests in Victoria and Tasmania. This session will outline the proposed changes in the second draft and provide an early look at the results from the testing. Presenter: Stefan Jensen, Senior Policy Manager at FSC ANZ First Nations Committee (formerly Indigenous Working Group) Update This session will provide an update on the progress and future direction of the First Nations Committee (FNC). Participants will hear about recent achievements, ongoing initiatives, and strategic priorities, as well as the Committee’s plans to strengthen Indigenous engagement and influence in sustainable forestry governance. Presenter: Tolita Davis-Angeles, Chair of the FSC ANZ First Nations Committee Putting Nature on the Balance Sheet As financial markets respond to climate, biodiversity, and social risks, the forestry sector is working to measure and report the value of nature in financial terms. This session will share progress and next steps from the Global Forestry Natural Capital project, involving major forestry owners across 38 countries. Presenter: Rayne van den Berg, Founder of Value Australia and former CFO of Forico FSC Trace: Enhancing supply chain integrity and traceability The EU Deforestation-free Regulation (EUDR) will come into force by December 2026. While uncertainties remain and market concerns continue to grow, one requirement is already clear: robust traceability will be fundamental across value chains and regions. This session will provide an update on FSC Trace, a digital solution powered by blockchain technology, highlighting its core strengths, its role in supporting EUDR compliance, and practical steps organisations can take to begin their preparation journey. Presenter: Michelle Wong, Deputy Regional Director, FSC APAC The AGM and events are exclusively for FSC members, the AGM is on 28 May starting at 11:00am and finishing at 5:00pm, in-person attendees should arrive by 10:30am at the Melbourne Museum, Treetops room, 11 Nicholson St, Carlton, Victoria. More information at: https://events.humanitix.com/agm-and-membership-engagement-forum

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A ground-breaking artificial intelligence system has detected almost 90 unplanned fires since it was rolled out across more than a million hectares in South Australia, helping firefighters coordinate earlier bushfire responses. Source: Timberbiz The technology provides early intelligence to firefighters to support their bushfire responses across the state’s Green Triangle forestry region, helping them respond to fires when they’re smaller and more containable. In 2023, the State Government in South Australia invested $2.35 million to install eight AI-powered cameras, developed by bushfire detection and intelligence provider Pano AI, in strategic locations throughout the South East’s forest estates and Limestone Coast communities. Since then, the smart camera network has detected 87 unplanned fires across vast areas of the Limestone Coast, including 12 during the 2025-26 Fire Danger Season, which ends tomorrow in the South East, Kangaroo Island, Mid North, Mount Lofty Ranges, Murraylands, Riverland, Yorke Peninsula and Adelaide Metropolitan area. Most of the fires detected by the system were during the 2024-25 Fire Danger Season, when 50 were identified. Lightning was responsible for the majority of the fires, including the March 2025 Fox fire near Lucindale, while others were linked to vehicle fires, electrical faults and escaped burn-offs. The remaining 25 unplanned fires detected by the system were during the 2023-24 season. “Pano AI’s partnership with the South Australian Government and Green Triangle Fire Alliance has been central to the network’s evolution over the past three years,” Pano AI Australia’s Andrew Prolov, said “What began as early fire detection is now an advanced bushfire intelligence capability, enabling agencies to understand not just where a fire is, but what it means in real time for nearby communities and assets. “This is a critical shift in a region as vast and operationally complex as the Green Triangle. We have trained and empowered more than 100 first responders across the region, embedding the technology into frontline response ahead of each fire season,” he said. The AI camera network is managed by the Green Triangle Fire Alliance (GTFA), which also manages another seven smart cameras installed on fire towers and infrastructure over the border in the Victorian part of the Green Triangle forestry area. Each camera feeds into a system that delivers real-time fire detection alerts which are then reviewed by a human analyst using ultra-HD 360-degree cameras, AI and satellite technology, helping to identify the earliest signs of smoke and fire. The system also helps identify a fire’s location, severity and proximity to people, infrastructure and firefighting assets, supporting more informed responses from industry and emergency services. Notable fires detected by the system since it was rolled out include the Biscuit Flat hay shed fire in January 2024, which enabled emergency services to quickly scale up resources thanks to early alerts, as well as multiple deliberately lit car fires in timber plantations during early 2024 and a string of lightning fires in early 2025. While the Fire Danger Season ends on May 1 in South Australia, fires can continue to break out at any time of year, and the public is asked to remain vigilant and continue adhering to fire safety requirements. “We’ve invested in AI technology which has made a real difference, supporting firefighters across the Limestone Coast to respond even sooner to fires that threaten our communities and plantations,” Forest Industries Minister Clare Scriven said. She said the State Government would continue to support SA’s regional communities, emergency services and state’s $3 billion forest industry. “The South Australian Government’s co-funding of the GTFA’s AI-powered fire detection camera network has significantly strengthened fire detection and management across the Limestone Coast region,” Green Triangle Fire Alliance General Manager Anthony Walsh said “The camera network provides coverage of more than one million hectares across the region. While the plantation industry initiated the project, around 90% of the coverage extends beyond plantations to include towns, farmland, roads and conservation reserves. “As a result, our communities, towns, farmlands and conservation areas are safer thanks to this advanced technology.”

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The NSW Government has launched a new multi-agency taskforce in a bid to accelerate hazard reduction and better protect communities across NSW. Taskforce Fire Guard will bring together fire agencies and land managers to strengthen coordination and prioritise high risk areas over the coming months. Source: Timberbiz Operating from the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) State Operations Centre, the taskforce will use predictive services and weather intelligence to support agencies to target efforts where they are needed most, said Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib. Participating agencies include the RFS, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Forestry Corporation of NSW, Crown Lands and Transport for NSW. “Taskforce Fire Guard brings agencies together to ensure we are making the most of every opportunity to reduce bushfire risk and protect communities,” said Minister Dib. “It will strengthen how we plan and deliver hazard reduction across the state, particularly as weather conditions allow work to increase. “This is a commonsense approach to hazard reduction that brings all agencies together with a sole focus of coordinated and planned hazard reduction activities. “This is about making sure every part of the system is working together, using the best available information, to reduce bush fire risk and protect lives and communities across NSW.” The centralised body will support existing local arrangements by coordinating resources and using technology to plan and deliver hazard reduction more efficiently across the state. Current conditions have created a valuable window for hazard reduction activity with burns underway across multiple regions, said RFS Commissioner Trent Curtin. The activities are reducing fuel loads, helping to lower fire intensity and better protect communities ahead of future fire seasons. “We’re dealing with higher fuel loads and increasingly narrow windows to safely carry out hazard reduction,” said Commissioner Curtin. “This taskforce allows us to better prioritise and coordinate work across agencies, focusing effort where it will have the greatest operational impact. “Hazard reduction is one of the most effective ways to reduce bushfire risk, and we will take advantage of favourable conditions wherever possible to safely carry out this work across multiple regions. “While people may see or smell smoke, these burns are carefully planned and closely monitored to ensure community safety.” Since 1 July 2025, agencies have treated 45,000 hectares across NSW, helping to protect more than 127,000 properties through a targeted focus. “Task Force Fire Guard is about strengthening how agencies work together to deliver hazard reduction burns where it will make the greatest difference to community safety. “It does not replace existing planning or command arrangements, rather it supports them by improving coordination, situational awareness and access to specialist capability, enabling agencies to take advantage of the narrow windows available when conditions are right,” said Fire and Rescue NSW, Acting Commissioner Mick Morris. “Fire and Rescue NSW’s contribution is focused on the urban interface and structure risk, supporting our endorsed bushfire mitigation plans and safe integration with our broader emergency response.” A list and map of planned burns can be found on the RFS website at www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/hr or download the Hazards Near Me app for information on upcoming hazard reduction burns in ‘Watch Zone’.  

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Labor’s chronic underfunding of our Country Fire Authority (CFA) was laid bare at a Parliamentary Inquiry last week, with recent government funding announcements falling well short of reversing the damage according to the Liberal Opposition. Source: Timberbiz CFA Chief Executive, Greg Leach, confirmed the organisation was not meeting fleet renewal benchmarks, including the turning over of tankers at 20 years of age and pumpers at 15. He acknowledged that a $65 million per year investment would be needed just to maintain the current age of the CFA fleet, a far cry from Labor’s recent $10 million per year promise for the next 10 years. He also revealed there are 802 single-cab tankers in the CFA fleet. This contradicts earlier Department of Justice and Community Safety evidence that put the figure at 627 during Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearings six months ago. CFA Chief Officer, Jason Heffernan, admitted to the inquiry that CFA staff shortages led to “some deficiencies” in affected districts. He confirmed he had formally raised concerns with the Emergency Management Commissioner ahead of the fire season and issued a “qualified attestation” about the CFA’s readiness ahead of summer due to the staff shortages. This attestation has not been made public. He also confirmed unfilled vacancies existed in District 22 at the time of the Longwood fire in January but could not say how many. Fire Services Implementation Monitor, Niall Blair, warned the inquiry the vacancies were “leaving vulnerabilities across the state”. Leader of The Nationals and Shadow Minister for Emergency Services, Danny O’Brien, said Labor continued to under-resource the CFA and leave regional Victoria vulnerable. “We knew the CFA was under-resourced going into the fire season and not getting enough support to upgrade fire trucks. Today’s hearings confirmed this. “The ageing firefighting fleet will only get older under this government, with volunteers forced to sit in the open air in single-cab trucks exposed to the smoke, dust and here for another decade if Labor win again in November. “Labor can’t manage money and it’s our firefighters and regional communities who are paying the price. “The Liberals and Nationals will stop the waste, scrap the tax on volunteers, and back our community firefighters to keep them safe and our communities protected.”

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