Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

REGIONAL FOREST AGREEMENTS ACT 2002 - SECT 4

    In this Act, unless the contrary intention appears:

"comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system" , in relation to an RFA, has the same meaning as in the RFA.

"forest and wood products industry" means:

  (a)   the forest products industry; and

  (b)   the wood products industry.

"National Forest Policy Statement" means the National Forest Policy Statement signed on behalf of the Commonwealth and each of the States (other than Tasmania) in December 1992, and on behalf of Tasmania in April 1995.

"plantation" means an intensively managed stand of trees of either native or exotic species that is created by the regular placement of seedlings or seed.

"RFA" or Regional Forest Agreement means an agreement that is in force between the Commonwealth and a State in respect of a region or regions, being an agreement that satisfies all the following conditions:

  (a)   the agreement was entered into having regard to assessments of the following matters that are relevant to the region or regions:

  (i)   environmental values, including old growth, wilderness, endangered species, national estate values and world heritage values;

  (ii)   indigenous heritage values;

  (iii)   economic values of forested areas and forest industries;

  (iv)   social values (including community needs);

  (v)   principles of ecologically sustainable management;

  (b)   the agreement provides for a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system;

  (c)   the agreement provides for the ecologically sustainable management and use of forested areas in the region or regions;

  (d)   the agreement is expressed to be for the purpose of providing long - term stability of forests and forest industries;

  (e)   the agreement is expressed to be a Regional Forest Agreement.

"RFA forestry operations" means:

  (a)   forestry operations (as defined by an RFA as in force on 1   September 2001 between the Commonwealth and New South Wales) that are conducted in relation to land in a region covered by the RFA (being land where those operations are not prohibited by the RFA); or

  (b)   forestry operations (as defined by an RFA as in force on 1   September 2001 between the Commonwealth and Victoria) that are conducted in relation to land in a region covered by the RFA (being land where those operations are not prohibited by the RFA); or

  (c)   harvesting and regeneration operations (as defined by an RFA as in force on 1   September 2001 between the Commonwealth and Western Australia) that are conducted in relation to land in a region covered by the RFA (being land where those operations are not prohibited by the RFA); or

  (d)   forestry operations (as defined by an RFA as in force on 1   September 2001 between the Commonwealth and Tasmania) that are conducted in relation to land in a region covered by the RFA (being land where those operations are not prohibited by the RFA).

For the purposes of paragraph   ( b), the East Gippsland RFA (as in force on 1   September 2001) is taken to include a definition of forestry operations that is identical to the definition of forestry operations in the Central Highlands RFA (as in force on 1   September 2001).

"RFA wood" means processed or unprocessed wood (including woodchips) sourced from a region covered by an RFA, but does not include wood sourced from a plantation in a State unless:

  (a)   a code of practice for that State has been approved under rules made under section   432 of the Export Control Act 2020 ; and

  (b)   that approval has not been revoked under those rules .

"State" includes the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.