Australia Moves to Ban Illegal Timber

The Australian government announced today that it has introduced legislation restricting the importation and sale of illegally logged timber. "Under the legislation, importers will now need to meet a due diligence test to ensure the timber they are sourcing has not been illegally logged," said Australia's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Senator Joe Ludwig. Ludwig said the legislation, which will be introduced into Parliament next year, will protect Australian timber jobs and help ease consumers' concerns over the legality of products they buy. Ludwig added that the legislation is part of a global effort including the United States and the European Union, both of which already have illegal timber bans in place. The press release from the Australian government can be read here, and further information from the Australian government on illegal logging can be found here.