Illegal Logging Requirements Update

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

The Rules will replace the Illegal Logging Prohibition Regulation 2012 (the Regulation) and introduce changes to due diligence requirements. We will provide detailed guidance material to support you under the new arrangements, however it is up to you to understand your responsibilities as an importer or processor of regulated timber and/or timber products/raw logs.

The fundamental steps of your due diligence requirements will remain unchanged. This includes a written due diligence system, information gathering, risk assessment, risk mitigation and record keeping. The requirement to respond to a request for information from the department also remains the same. However, there are key changes to some steps:

• The three risk assessment methods in the current Regulation (Country Specific Guidelines or State Specific Guidelines, Timber Legality Frameworks and Regulated Risk Factors) will be replaced with two distinct risk assessment pathways for:
  1. Certified timber and timber products/raw logs 
  2. Non-certified timber and timber products/raw logs.
• There will be a new repeat due diligence exception. This will allow you to rely on a previous risk assessment and risk mitigation measures if you import or process the same timber, timber products, or raw logs from the same supplier within a 12 month period. You can use this exception regardless of the certification status of your timber or timber products.
• There will be an exemption for processors who are also the person/entity who harvested the raw log.