What is National Estate and does it prevent logging?

Definition

The national estate is defined in the Australian Heritage Commission Act 1975 as:
those places, being components of the natural environment of Australia, or the cultural environment of Australia, that have aesthetic, historic, scientific or social significance or other special value for future generations as well as for the present community.

Commonwealths position in relation to logging within areas of National Estate

The following are extracts from West RFA National Estate Identification and Assessment in the West Region of Victoria Jan 2000.

When making decisions about the use of forests that contain places of national estate significance, for example decisions on whether to grant woodchip export licences, the Commonwealth must consider any potential adverse effects on the national estate.

In the past, the lack of detailed information in a regional context about the national estate values of forests has made it difficult for the Australian Heritage Commission to identify and register places of national estate significance and to provide the Commonwealth Government with detailed advice about the protection of those places. The lack of information has also contributed to uncertainty for forest-based industries and for State governments about which places will be listed in the Register of the National Estate, and what advice the Commission would give on the protection of those places.

In recognition of these problems, the Commission has developed a methodology for the regional assessment of national estate values which focuses on systematic surveys to identify areas of national estate significance coupled with appropriate management to protect identified values, using a regional framework as the basis for decision-making. A systematic regional approach to the assessment of national estate values ensures that information on the distribution and regional protection of values is available to provide an appropriate context for the Commission to develop its advice to the Commonwealth Government. It also ensures that all stakeholders and the general community are aware of the places of national estate significance in the Region.

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