Bowraville sawmill owner says uncertainty over logging contracts "robbed me of my retirement”

A Bowraville sawmill owner undergoing cancer treatment says uncertainty over the future of the timber industry has left his business “virtually unsaleable”.

Matthew Dyer, 63, has operated Bowraville Sawmill in the Nambucca Valley since 2001 and has 15 employees.

He began his timber industry career cutting railway sleepers at Taylors Arm as a teenager. 

Contract changes: Dyer had a timber supply agreement in place with Forestry Corporation of NSW before the announcement of the Great Koala National Park (GKNP) in 2025, however that has now been paid out by the NSW Government.

That contract would have run until 2026, however the details of the payout remain confidential.

Dyer and other North Coast mill owners are seeking certainty from government as to what these contracts will look like in future.

Logging ban: The GKNP combines 176,000 hectares of state forest with existing protected areas to create a 475,000-hectare reserve dedicated to the protection of koalas and other native species. 

While it is being established, a moratorium has been placed on timber harvesting in State forests within the park’s suggested boundaries.

No job security: Dyer says the lack of ongoing contracts, and firm commitment from government as to the direction of the industry, has significantly impacted his business’ resale value.

• “[The GKNP] has robbed me of my retirement,” he told the Mid North Coaster.
  
  “If [the government] said [they were] gonna do contracts to, say, 2035 or 2038, people in the industry would have faith to invest.” 

Knock-on effects: If the sawmill was to close, Dyer said the impacts on a small rural community like Bowraville would be significant, noting his business donates about $40,000 a year to local causes. 

• “I've got 15 direct staff, then I've got about seven or eight contractors in harvesting and haulage, then there's a couple of jobs dependent on the sawdust and wood chips. 

  
  “There's probably another 15 jobs, or possibly more, that are directly affected by me being here. In a small community … that's going to have a fair follow-on effect.”
  

Similar stories: Maree McCaskill, CEO of Timber NSW, said mills across the North Coast are “looking down the barrel” of closure due to expiring contracts and reduced harvesting areas due to the GKNP moratorium.

Many of the North Coast mills’ government contracts will expire in 2028.

• “The issue becomes, for all of them, that they have no guarantees past December 2028. If you were a company, would you invest? Would you upgrade your equipment, would you do any form of expansion?” she told the Mid North Coaster.

Council support: Local mills and workers were backed by Kempsey and Coffs Harbour councils this week.

In Coffs Harbour, councillors resolved to write to the Premier and relevant ministers, calling for “evidence-based decision-making”, “meaningful consultation with regional communities”, and “greater certainty for workers, businesses and communities”.

Council will advocate for long-term planning and increased investment to support a “sustainable forestry industry” on the Coffs Coast and has requested an in-person briefing from the NSW Government on worker support packages and industry support programs.

In Kempsey, councillors passed a motion urging the NSW Government to provide an enhanced financial compensation, employment, retraining and support package for timber industry workers, independent operators and contractors, including assistance to undertake succession or career transition planning.

How many are impacted: According to the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), over the 2024-25 financial year in NSW, there were on average 1,675 people working in Forestry and Logging, 1,910 people working in Forestry Support Services, 12,228 in Wood Product Manufacturing and 4,344 in Pulp, Paper and Converted Paper Product Manufacturing.

Local employment figures are the subject of regular debate due to the number of associated industries. 

Existing support: In 2025, the NSW Government announced a Worker Support Package for impacted timber industry workers, which included top-up redundancy payments (capped at $150,000) on top of those offered by employers, additional support for employees over 45 years of age (up to a cap of $50,000), education and training payments of up to $9,000, relocation payments of up to $45,000, and access to mental health support and financial and legal guidance.

Additionally, the Forestry Industry Supply Chain Support Program offered up to $100,000 to downstream businesses that had existing contracts with sawmills or contractors, up to $25,000 for business planning and up to $250,000 to help businesses transition to a new business model.

In August 2024, consultation opened on the NSW Government’s Forestry Industry Action Plan, however the plan is yet to be released.