Strait

Impacts of plantations for the proposed pulp mill

The expanding area of plantations intended to feed the proposed pulp mill, is already having a major impact on the state.

Water

These documents were released under FOI rules and are in the public domain as information in the public interest.

The documents date around 2008, however, they are still in play, and very current, as they mainly relate to the final module for approval for the proposed pulp mill, which is likely to be approved under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC) in the next month or so.

Here is the online copy of the first edition [Summer 09/2010] of TAP's newspaper. You can download a pdf of the four A3 sized pages at the bottom and print off copies.

Its purpose is to detail in newspaper format how the proposed pulp mill, the fourth-largest kraft pulp mill in the world, threatens the health, jobs, lifestyle and investments of the community.

In a nutshell

The report by CSIRO's Dr Mike Herzfeld was finally made public by Gunns after months of resisting its release. Greens Christine Milne had been trying to get the report released under Freedom Of Information but had been blocked by Gunns. The Company released the report just ahead of a departmental review of the FOI request.

George Town municipality rate payers can now vote on four questions on the pulp mill elector poll. TAP recommends the following guide to voting. 

Question 1 A - the approval process - Vote NO
We were told that the mill had to be fast tracked through Parliament for commercial reasons. But project finance has not been secured, the required studies are not complete, final federal approvals have not been given and construction is at least 6 months away.

Facts the Tasmanian Government and Gunns Ltd don’t want people to know about the proposed Tamar valley pulp mill, Tasmania, Australia. Timber company Gunns Ltd wants to build a ‘world scale’ pulp mill in the clean green Tamar valley. The proposal is planned to go ahead despite majority opposition from Tasmanians and Australians and massive risks to food production and fisheries, from air and water pollution, water shortages and release of carbon stores into the atmosphere.

Tasmanians Against the Pulp Mill have made several submissions to the Commonwealth under the Environment Protection Conservation and Biodiversity Act.

The main concerns are: pollution impacts on Bass Strait, no risk assessment, persistent organic pollutants eg dioxin, poor flushing of Bass Strait and inadequate hydrodynamic modelling.

31 AUGUST 2007

TAP Submission re EPBC assessment of Gunns’ Tamar valley pulp mill
Referral number 2007/3385

To
epbc.pulpmill@environment.gov.au

We are writing in response to the invitation for public comment on the extended assessment of Gunns Ltd Bleached Kraft Pulp Mill, Bell Bay Tasmania (EPBC 2007/3385)

1. Risks of getting the assessment wrong
No formal Risk Management assessment of the proposal in accordance with Australian Standard AS/NZS 4360 (2004), has been completed. Any risk assessment should at it simplest, include an analysis of the hazard and the probability of its impact over the duration of the risk.

Review of Sweco Report by Professor Andrew Wadsley

This is a review of the report “Assessment of the Gunns Limited Bell Bay Pulp Mill
against the Environment Emission Limit Guidelines” by SWECO PIC Oy and
associated documentation. This review is limited, in the main, to factors affecting
pulp mill effluent and emissions. Download Professor Wadsley's full report from below.

The main findings are:

1. SWECO PIC make false and misleading statements, and omit significant issues

Selected reports and submissions on Gunns proposed Tamar valley pulp mill are organised by category.

1. Tasmania-wide impacts

2. Economic and planning risks

3. Pollution of Bass Strait

4. Human health risks

5. Wood supply issues

6. Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act

7. Water consumption