The Tasmanian Greens today gave an unequivocal commitment not to support the sale of Hydro Tasmania’s current Tasmanian generation assets.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that the Greens saved Hydro when the Liberal Party tried to sell it in the 1990s, and that the party’s position had not changed since.
“The Greens will not support the sale of Hydro Tasmania’s hydroelectric assets now or in the future, and that is an unequivocal commitment,” Mr McKim said.
“These are assets built with the blood and sweat of Tasmanians, they are owned by the taxpayers, and they should remain in public hands.”
“The reason that we still have Hydro Tasmania’s hydroelectric assets in public hands is that the Greens did not support the Liberals’ privatisation attempts in the 1990s.”
“Nobody should believe Will Hodgman when he claims the Liberals wouldn’t try to privatise Hydro, because they tried it once before.”
“The Greens are still working through the recommendations of the Expert Energy Panel in order to make a decision that’s in the long-term interests of Tasmanian energy users.”
“These are extremely important long term decisions on energy, and now is the time for coming up with constructive answers not parochial politics,” Mr McKim said.
• Meanwhile… elsewhere in Tassie Labor land: Former TOTE bosses to face court
Posted May 01, 2012 08:41:01
Former bosses of TOTE Tasmania are to appear before a Supreme Court hearing in Melbourne into the collapsed online betting business Sports Alive.
The state-owned betting agency invested $5 million in Sports Alive in 2009 when Craig Coleman was TOTE’s chief executive.
Mr Coleman was also chairman of Sports Alive when it collapsed owing millions of dollars.
The proceedings relate to the Corporations Act which allows the liquidator to examine key personnel from the business.
The hearing has been dominated by legal argument and is expected to take five days.
The Government recently sold TOTE Tasmania to the Victorian-based Tatts Group.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-01/tote-bosses-to-face-court/3982042?section=tas
• PUMPHOUSE POINT DEVELOPER LOOKING FOR SCAPEGOAT
Tim Morris MP
Greens Tourism Spokesperson
The Tasmanian Greens today said that the proponent behind the Pumphouse Point development should stop blaming others for the failure of the project, and accept that National Parks were set up for protecting natural values not private profits.
Greens Tourism spokesperson Tim Morris MP sad Tasmania’s reserve system belonged to all Tasmanians, and was not there to be sold and exploited for the benefit of a few large private operators.
“If you allow large scale development to go ahead in a National Park, you’re damaging the very thing that it was created to protect,” Mr Morris said.
“Those who push private developments in National Parks are rarely heard advocating for the protection of our wild areas, while they profit massively from tourist projects in places like Strahan, where the adjacent World Heritage Area attracts many thousands of people every year.”
“Simon Currant has had three years since his development application was approved to find an investor for the project, he’s failed, and now he is lashing out at what he thinks is an easy target.”
“Mr Currant can blame whoever he likes for his failure to attract investors, but the Greens position stands that we will never support environmentally destructive profiteering, especially not within the boundaries of a National Park.”
“The Cradle Mountain Lodge is a great example of a development just outside a National Park, which benefits massively from its proximity to a reserve without damaging its values.”
“These are the very things that people come here to experience in Tasmania, and it’s precisely because the Greens and others have worked so hard to protect these places that tourism operators like Simon Currant are now able to benefit from them.”
“Once you start going down the road of giving away bits of a National Park to private developers, there’s no end to it. Other developers will come forward expecting the same special deals to build bigger, more environmentally destructive projects until eventually there will be nothing of value left.”
“There’s still room for extensive development on the National Park boundary near Lake St Clair at Derwent Bridge, and there’s nothing stopping Mr Currant putting his money into more environmentally friendly projects.”
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Curl up & read this one….
Report by Bent & Cougle, liquidators of Sports Alive
‘...it also appeared that the Tote board and members of the Tasmanian Government were kept informed about the affairs of Sports Alive.’
http://www.bentcougle.com.au/CirculartoCreditors-23March.pdf
Meanwhile, Nick McKim would prefer other Hydro assets crumble, and waste away…. see this:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-05-03/greens-tourism-attitude-27elitist27/3987000?section=tas
In a media release on Thursday, May 3,
Entrepreneur and long-term tourism developer and operator Simon Currant today condemned the latest act of Green hypocrisy and clarified the nature of his iconic Pumphouse at St Clair development.
Yesterday the Federal Tourism Minister announced the latest investment projects that would be pitched to Chinese investors as part of Austrade’s activities. Tasmania’s latest iconic tourism facility, Pumphouse at St Clair, was among the innovative proposals.
Without seeking clarification or any information relating to the development, Greens leader Nick McKim chose to oppose the development site unseen.
Ironically this development has already commenced restoration and re-construction. It has been approved after six years of extensive environmental assessments and approvals.
The development at this stage consists 20 rooms within the existing buildings.
The State retains ownership of the land through a lease and the development showcases the iconic landscape by utilising existing buildings that are currently not being maintained and are falling to ruin.
“Pumphouse at St Clair will showcase the best of Tasmania’s wilderness and heritage through an iconic experience in a building 250 metres out from the lake shore,” Mr Currant said.
“This will be one of the world’s most remarkable experiences, providing comfort and safety in one of the world’s wildest landscapes.
“The Tasmanian Heritage Council supports the development and says the development will ‘preserve the integrity of the building’s classically inspired architectural composition and proportions…while taking into consideration heritage values and conservation options’.
“When the Federal Tourism Minister is actively seeking to attract much needed international investment we have the Greens deliberately undermining this work.
“At a time where there are incredible challenges in the State’s economy, the Greens need to step up and support sensitive development such as Pumphouse at St Clair.
“The Greens continually say they support tourism but their actions are the opposite.
“Tourism is a jobs factory and the greens are hell bent on destroying the livelihood of thousands of Tasmanians at the same time saying tourism will replace the economic vandalism they perpetrate on this state.
“The economic sabotage has to stop. Enough is enough.”
I agree with Tim Morris. Private developments do not belong in National Parks. The pump house could be renovated as a publicly owned facility such as a museum, backpacker accomodation or parks office. It should not be sold for a song to the first developer who wants to make a quid.
Parks are protected areas and for all people not just for a few selected wealthy ones.
So put the flash 5 star centres on the park boundaries such as in Derwent Park and leave the wilderness areas alone. If that means that the pumphouse crumbles then that is the way of all things.