Ending logging in Victoria now would save taxpayers $192m, budget office estimates

The Greens asked officials to calculate the cost of shutting down the native forest timber industry immediately rather than 2030 as planned

Ending native forest logging in Victoria immediately, rather than phasing it out by 2030 as the state government plans, would save taxpayers $192m over the next decade, according to an estimate by the state's independent budget office.

The Victorian Greens asked the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) to calculate what it would cost to shut down the native forest timber industry in the state now, including bringing forward the government's promised $120m transition package for the industry and workers.