Bushfires, import disruptions, and the government’s HomeBuilder scheme have created a “perfect storm” of demand for timber, resulting in nationwide shortages.

Australian Forest Products Association CEO Ross Hampton assured Deborah Knight the shortage is temporary and home builders must remain patient, however long-term structural issues around population planning do need to be addressed.

“We’re kind of in a building and renovating frenzy in Australia.

“It’s not really like we’ve run out of timber, it’s more like the problem we’ve had with toilet paper … we’ll catch up, it’s just going to take a little while because of the demand.

“Maybe the silver lining of this particular crisis we’re in Deb, is that the governments will work with us to start to get our industry cracking … to serve Australia’s needs in the next 50 years.”

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