Timber and timber products are a major part of the Australian building industry and preservative treatment is a common consideration for most timber users. Despite this however, there is a major lack of awareness by the users of the various issues associated with preservative treatment. Australian treatment specifications are logical, concise and uncomplicated. There are three agencies in Australia that set specifications for treated timber and although the various requirements are well coordinated, the different jurisdictions vary in the extent to which treated timber quality is monitored. Recent developments in Australia have seen increased usage of engineered wood products and this has bought with it a shift in the thinking behind timber treatment requirements. Along with approval of glue line treatments, the most recent initiative has been the use of envelope treatments for the protection of house framing against termites. There are a limited number of wood preservative formulations currently approved for use in Australia and over recent years there has been increased erosion of market dominance by copper, chrome arsenic (CCA) wood preservatives. It is likely that pressure on the use of CCA will see this effective wood preservative restricted even more in the future. The major concern for the timber treatment industry in Australia is the absence of a national quality monitoring scheme. Poor performance by treated timber in the market place that results from substandard product can only damage not only the treatment industry but the timber industry as a whole.

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