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Bartlett allowed clearing on pulp mill site when permits had expired

Why has Bartlett allowed work to begin on the pulp mill site when permit concerns were raised with the EPA last July?

TAP Into A Better Tasmania expressed outrage today that community concerns have again been disregarded by Tasmania's State Government.

Questions about the permit conditions for Gunns Ltd's proposed Pulp Mill were raised with the Environmental Protection Authority over three months ago, but continue to remain largely unacknowledged by David Bartlett.

Rick Pilkington
(Originally published on www.tasmaniantimes.com )

The continuing effect of the Gunns Pulp Mill on public life in Tasmania will be one of division. Terrible division. Supporting the project stopped being clever long ago. The kindest thing to do would be for the Bartlett Government to disconnect itself from the proposed Tamar Valley pulp mill and reconnect to its line in the sand. Until the Bartlett Government or a future Hodgman Government does so, the Gunns Pulp Mill will continue to be a millstone.

Connected or Divided?

In 2008 Premier David Bartlett sent a clear message to the people of Tasmania that he’d had enough of the planned Gunns Tamar Valley Pulp Mill.

His Government’s role in the project was over and whether the pulp mill went ahead or not, would now be determined by Gunns and its ability to get finance.

The Premier told Tasmanians they would know for sure by Christmas 2008 whether the Gunns pulp mill project would or would not go ahead.

The Bartlett Government appeared to have recognised it had done more than enough in meeting Gunns’ timeframe. Other stakeholders would finally be given the same certainty as Gunns.

The many producers of award-winning food and wine in the Tamar Valley, where a $500 million tourism industry thrives, could now look forward to certainty and to reinvesting in, and expanding jobs-rich businesses

Mr Bartlett declared: “I believe that this Parliament and, therefore the Government have done pretty much all we can and some would say too much…we have drawn a line in the sand regarding any future government involvement in this project”.

When I confronted Mr Bartlett at George Town last weekend I said, “You lied to us Mr Premier. It’s there on the public record”

The Premier shook his head, walked away, and mumbled something to Deputy Premier Lara Giddings.

Sunday October 25 opened many peoples’ eyes to the bizzare, alternative world of media-led Government.

This site has now been taken down by the owner.

TAP members are very concerned that someone has produced a new website, 'www.tapvotersblock.com', which pretends to be associated with TAP Into A Better Tasmania and its Voters Block. The 'www.tapvotersblock.com' site does not belong to TAP Into A Better Tasmania. It belongs to some unknown person who appears to be waging a private campaign using TAP's name and TAP's Voters Block. 

Around 500 to 600 citizens came to the real Community Forum, on Sunday 4 October at the Beaconsfield Primary School and heard more than 20 speakers take the microphone against Gunns' proposed pulp mill, the corruption in Tasmanian politics, aerial spray pollution in plantations, and many more issues about the deep seated failure of government.

Armed with drums, bells, cymbals, buckets, horns, tambourines, bugles, saucepans, lids, tins, garbage bins, whistles, and anything that made a loud noise, they rose as one to create a deafening cacophony venting their anger at State Government Ministers when they arrived to "consult" the community. Twenty one were arrested for refusing to leave the grounds.

Speaking on ABC TV after the event, Premier David Bartlett claimed “I certainly support their right to peaceful protest and demonstration of that point of view. There is also a very large section of the community that recognises 40,000 new jobs.” The 40,000 jobs statistic is a brand new claim made today. Bartlett has been compelled by anger of the people to up the stakes in a game of bluff with the Tasmanian voters with his call of 40,000 new jobs.  Gunns state that only 1250 short term construction jobs and 292 long term operational jobs are required by the planned pulp mill. Bartlett's new job claim shows a desperate man making stupid mistakes.
 

Reproduced from www.tasmaniantimes.com

PETER HENNING

The recent “highly publicized” activities of Gunns at Longreach and the Trevallyn Reserve have revived and broadened public interest and public scrutiny of the now infamous PMAA and its associated permits. No need any more to spell out the name of the legislation. It’s now a well-known acronym, and continually growing in stature, but has long since left behind its aura of a model of controversially undemocratic Tasmanian legislation. It has acquired a more singular authority, as a thorough exemplar of political rot, the template for the failure of Tasmanian political processes at their worst.

The carefully orchestrated publicity between Gunns and its unfailingly fawning propaganda arm, the Launceston Examiner, has rebounded in quite spectacular fashion on both parties. The Chinese Government couldn’t have done it better.

Five compelling facts about the planned Tamar Valley pulp mill story continue to drive strong and growing community opposition to the proposal. At stake is the livelihood, health and environment of 100 000 people who live within the 55km radius odour zone. Also at stake is the future of many politicians.

Buck and Joan Emberg need your help.

We are in the process of collecting dumb statements by politicians and other people in places of leadership in the community.

At the moment we are calling it the "Duh...Award" for the greatest and funniest and worst statement by anybody. No holds barred.. we mean any person in leadership in the community. We are neither party nor gender specific; just trying to develop a satirical aspect of the newspaper which will be coming in the future.

Ho-hum....
Here goes Gutwein again.
Clearly he has trouble reading the latest sticker "I NO LONGER SHOP @GUNNS ", and certainly his interpretation is a little odd.

I suggest that all Tappers send him an email. Here's mine:-

Dear Mr Gutwein

Your inflammatory media release stating that TAP is trying to stop people buying from Gunns is nothing short of ridiculous cheap political grandstanding.

Ho-hum....
Here goes Gutwein again.
Clearly he has trouble reading the latest sticker "I NO LONGER SHOP @GUNNS ", and certainly his interpretation is a little odd.

I suggest that all Tappers send him an email. Here's mine:-

Dear Mr Gutwein

Your inflammatory media release stating that TAP is trying to stop people buying from Gunns is nothing short of ridiculous cheap political grandstanding.

In case you (like Gunns), are not aware of it, the vast majority of Tasmanians are not mindless idiots, and possess the ability to decide for themselves where, and who to buy goods from.