The establishment of the Great Koala National Park in New South Wales may lead to significant job losses in the rural community of Herons Creek. Approximately one-third of the village's workforce could be affected, as 80 locals are employed at the Pentarch Forestry timber mill. This small community has a population of just 246 people.

The Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union reported that the mill is one of six included in a state government support package for workers facing redundancy. This announcement comes two months after a logging moratorium was imposed on 176,000 hectares of state forest between Kempsey and Grafton to facilitate the creation of the park.

Jake Pinkerton, a union delegate at the Pentarch Forestry mill, described the situation as challenging. "The last 10 weeks have been nerve-racking, as you are left in limbo and we don't know who or how many will lose a job," he said. He emphasized the potential impact on the community, stating, "The sawmill employs around 80 people and most are from the area, so you can imagine what that would do to a small community like Herons Creek if the sawmill was to shut."

Pentarch Forestry has not provided specific comments but indicated it is reviewing the government's announcement regarding the park. Fellow union delegate Bodhi Moye noted that some workers are struggling with the uncertainty. "There's one bloke in particular, he's fourth generation, he lives just three doors down and he is heartbroken," Mr. Moye said.

As the timber mills await clarity on job losses under the new wood supply agreements, Mr. Moye expressed frustration over the lack of information. "We're still yet to hear what the company is going to do, and this is the end of the 10 weeks that the government has been paying us. We hoped to find out today or tomorrow, but nothing has been said."

NSW Minister for North Coast, Janelle Saffin, stated that around 300 jobs would be directly affected by the logging moratorium. She acknowledged the workers' concerns but defended the support package, saying it was negotiated with industry and unions. "It is the package that will allow them to re-adjust, find some other work and pay things off, so it is a sufficient package to allow that and to create the Great Koala National Park," Ms. Saffin said.

Alison Rudman, secretary of the Timber, Furnishing and Textiles Union, compared the worker package to compensation provided to timber industry workers in Victoria when native forest harvesting ceased there. "It allows workers who lose their job to leave the industry with dignity and options for the future," she said.

Ron Morris, a 79-year-old resident of Herons Creek for 28 years, expressed concern about the potential impact on the community. "For us to lose that number of people out of Herons Creek would just make it like a ghost town," he said.

In the nearby Clarence Valley, Dion Durrington, a maintenance fitter and electrician at a Grafton timber mill for 29 years, shared his worries. As a union delegate for 20 mill workers, he noted that morale is low as they await news about their jobs. While he acknowledged that the financial support packages are "pretty good," he added, "they could always be better."

Mr. Durrington, who followed his father into the company, highlighted the challenges older workers face in finding new employment. "I'm 50 now, not a lot of employers hire older people, so it's going to be hard to find another job," he said. He also mentioned that relocating for work in Queensland would be difficult for those with family ties in the North Coast region.