The Australian Government is committed to ensuring illegally logged material is not incorporated into Australian wood products. The arrangements commencing on 3 March 2025 represent an opportunity for government, industry and end users of wood products to have greater confidence in the source and supply of timber. This will provide greater confidence to the Australian public of the strong collective commitment of all parts of the Australian supply chain to responsible forestry practices.

Transitioning to new arrangements

The Illegal Logging Prohibition Amendment Act 2024 (Amendment Act) and associated Illegal Logging Prohibition Rules 2024 (the Rules) were finalised in December 2024 and will come into effect on 3 March 2025. We encourage you to take a look and familiarise yourself with these.

We appreciate that the new legal requirements will involve changes to your internal processes and we remain committed to supporting compliance within the regulated community with clear and accessible guidance.

For the first six months of the Rules being in effect (from 3 March 2025 – early September 2025), we will conduct audits as usual, but will focus on education and guidance for non-compliance matters relating to the application of new/changed due diligence arrangements.

We may still take further action for non-compliance matters where warranted, consistent with our compliance policy.

What does this mean for importers and processors?

Aspects of your due diligence requirements will change on 3 March 2025. Until then, existing requirements remain in place.

Information on the practical changes for importers and processors is available in E-update 49.

Guidance material

More information on what will happen from 3 March 2025 is available in the Navigating New Rules: Transitioning to new arrangements factsheet.

We have also developed two digital kits ('digikits') with resources and information for representative groups to distribute amongst their networks. If you would like to receive the digikits to help us spread the word, please email us at illegallogging@aff.gov.au.

Further guidance material will be available ahead of 3 March 2025 to assist you in meeting your due diligence requirements. There will be an opportunity for you to provide feedback during the first six months of the updated legislation, to ensure our guidance is fit-for-purpose. At all times the guidance will remain aligned to the legislation and the intent of the legislation.

We acknowledge that satisfying your due diligence requirements varies for different products, with certain products—such as composite products—requiring more detailed consideration. We are committed to assisting you in navigating these challenges and are open to feedback on how we can better support your efforts to comply with the legislation.

More information

Further information on the changes coming into effect under the Amendment Act and Rules is available in E-update 49.

Please stay subscribed and encourage others you know in the industry to also subscribe.

• See the department's illegal logging website for information and resources
• Email the department's compliance branch
• Call the department during business hours (8.30 am to 5.30 pm) on 1800 657 313 or +61 2 6272 3933 outside Australia