Engaging with the community
DERM Forest Products recognises and respects the rights and legitimate interests of customers, other forest users, lessees, local and Indigenous communities, neighbours, conservation groups, industry bodies, other government agencies, local government and the general public in its forest management activities.
We seek to engage constructively, professionally and openly with stakeholders and to resolve any issues, where possible, on a mutually satisfactory basis. The Code of conduct for the sale of forest and quarry products (PDF, 79K)*, which was developed in consultation with several stakeholder groups to foster more productive working relationships, articulates the standard of conduct required.
More specifically, the code serves to:
- publicly document and promote a standard of appropriate conduct between all parties engaged in native forest harvesting and quarrying
- provide a reference for new DERM Forest Products staff, and a constant reminder for existing staff, as to expectations in relation to their interaction with clients, lessees and other stakeholders
- guide all external parties, including clients, lessees and other stakeholders, as to how our staff expect to be treated in return.
The principles and behavioural requirements outlined in the code will deliver mutual benefits to all stakeholder groups involved in or impacted by native forest harvesting and quarry extraction from State-owned lands under the management of DERM Forest Products.
Indigenous interests
With respect to Indigenous interests, we follow established processes for assessing native title required by the Native Title Act 1993 (Cwlth) and the identifying and protecting cultural heritage as required under the Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 2003. We also support initiatives to promote Indigenous peoples’ interests in forests and timber production, for example, under the Cape York Peninsula Heritage Act 2007.
In accordance with our good neighbour policy, we keep landholders or affected members of the community informed of our operations, respond promptly to concerns, complaints and questions about forest management, and manage iour operation to minimise the effects on our neighbours.
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Last reviewed 18 October 2010
Last updated 7 October 2009