We have become locked into a nineteenth century industrial revolution mentality in Tasmania that diverts people from education and training and focuses on reshaping our state with trucks, machines and industrial factories.
All well and good you may say, but what about the “clean green” image that is the message we are allegedly promoting to the world? Tourists don’t wish to see heavy industry; they want to see the jewel that is Tasmania.
For Tasmania and its people to prosper on the world stage in the 21st century, we need to promote our isolation to the international tourism sector, show them our pristine waters, forests and air. Encourage individuals into small business to promote these assets. Train our people to standards that will show our visitors that Tasmania is the world’s number one tourist destination.
For example, look at the Franklin Dam debacle and what its loss now means for Strahan and its people. If the government’s lead was followed in those days, what would be the future for those folk now?
And there’s more at:
Your Say
Brenda Rosser
February 13, 2005 at 04:31
Is our current situation a spin off from 19th Century laissez faire or is it modelled on the command economy of Communist Russia. The latter has the following features:
1. Pervasive protectionism
2. Paternalism
3. Co-ordinated public education. In Tasmania this takes the form of organised and ubiquitous spindoctoring;
4. Lack of impetus for change;
5. Undervaluation of the opportunity cost of planned priorities;
6. Absent criteria to assess economic performance;
7. Industry-based ministries;
8. Destruction of resource base due to improper exploitation;
9. Ecocide. Collateral damage to agriculture, biodiversity, human health etc;
10. Centralisation of decision-making. And decisions being made away from affected regions;
11. Cancellation of industry debts;
12. Monopoly;
13. State ownership and exploitation of land resources.
phill Parsons
February 24, 2005 at 21:30
The Price of Love
Surprise number 1, not a chlorine free pulp mill.
What will be surprise number 2, that a mill proves economically unviable.
It will never be shown as environmentally unsustainable by the proponent or their agents, Guns for Hire Daily.
That old furphy smoke will be answered by the world’s tallest chimney to put the fallout more evenly over the southern ocean or even into the lungs of the Chileans.
We will not see that percious commodity water being re-used because they cannot make it clean enough and so fisherfolk prepare to leave Bass Stait east of this mill and down to St Helens if you value the health of the consumers of your catch.
An unsustainable process is all that the board of Gunns has in mind, their love of Tasmania and indeed of all life, has a value.
The difference betyween the cost of the dumb pulpmill they propose and world’s best practice.
Opponents will now be able to tell us the price of that love.
The cost recovered by selling the technology to every builder and upgrader of pulpmills everywhere else.
No, that would be too clever as well as clean and green.
Barnaby Drake
March 28, 2005 at 05:25
I see that Forestry Tasmania in threir concern for the public is so worried about falling branches that they have had to close the Blue Tiers walking track. I should imagine if it remains closed to the public whether the greater danger might be from falling trees?