GEOFFREY COUSINS, MR, June 28
There are serious probity issues arising from the Minister’s statement supporting the Gunns proposed pulp mill.
To have the chairman of Gunns, John Gay, included in the Carr review is a serious breach of probity standards. Where a company may benefit from any government consideration, it is critical to maintain distance between executives and government representatives under strict protocols. These standards have been applied in other industry reviews in recent times, but not here. The Prime Minister should institute an immediate investigation into the circumstances surrounding this matter. The odour of corruption, which can come in many forms, will linger until this is done.
The government will lose any credibility in environmental issues if it further backs this project. Here we have the ironic situation where the standards imposed by responsible businesses are above those applied by the Australian government.
The European company Sodra stated that it wouldn’t finance the project unless it used totally chlorine free technology and certified plantation timber only, neither of which is proposed by Gunns. But our government apparently says “Who cares? Build it anyway and use some taxpayer money to do it.”
If the government hides behind the world financial crisis as an excuse to push whatever project it chooses, it will soon lose its economic credentials as well. Australians aren’t stupid. They can smell a political fix a mile away.
Geoffrey Cousins
