The State Government is calling for stakeholder submissions on the future of the wild Western Australian sandalwood industry.

Forestry Minister Mia Davies said the existing industry structure had been in place since 1998, and with current contracts coming to an end, it was timely to review the sales and marketing arrangements.

“Wild Western Australian sandalwood has been earning export income for the State since 1844 and it now accounts for more than 60 per cent of the world’s supply of sandalwood products,” Ms Davies said.

“With new contracts for sandalwood starting in 2016 we want to get the right structure for the industry going forward.  We will be consulting with stakeholders to get a wide range of views on the options available.

“While financial return to the State is important because it provides funds to invest in land management, regeneration and enforcement programs, weighting should also be given to other priorities such as Aboriginal employment and regional economic development.”

The Minister said the introduction of plantation sandalwood into the market over the next 10 years meant the industry needed to be carefully managed to protect the high value wild sandalwood markets.

“Our primary focus for consultation is the next 10-year period, when the industry will be based on wild Western Australian sandalwood,” she said.

“However, we need to be mindful that the plantation resource will start to become available during this time and we want to ensure that the structure we create could also support private growers and the introduction of this wood into the marketplace.”

An independent consultant will be seeking submissions from stakeholders during July 2015. There will be public notices on where and how to make a submission.