Rally: stop the mill

Geoff Law Wilderness Society MR

The crowd was particularly scathing of Peter Garrett, who was booed every time his name was mentioned.

MEDIA RELEASE 7 OCTOBER 2007

5000 SPELL OUT MESSAGE TO HOWARD AND RUDD – STOP THE PULP MILL

Over 5000 people jammed the roads leading to Low Head today in a show of strength against the proposed Tamar Valley pulp mill. The crowd exceeded initial estimates of 3000 as more and more people arrived after walking up to three kilometres as parking places close to the rally were totally clogged.

After hearing from speakers condemning Environment Minister Turnbull’s pulp-mill decision, the passionate crowd moved on to East Beach to spell out STOP THE PULP MILL in letters seven metres deep. The 80-metre-long message was filmed from a helicopter just as a flurry of showers was brought by strong south-westerly winds.

The demonstration was the public’s first major opportunity to protest against the pulp-mill decision announced last Thursday by Malcolm Turnbull and endorsed by Labor Shadow Minister Peter Garrett.

“Today was a fantastic show of strength,” said Wilderness Society campaigner Geoff Law. “This is a message to politicians who have failed to gauge the public mood against the pulp mill.”

Mr Law described how the pulp mill’s massive appetite would destroy over 2000 square kilometres of Tasmanian native forests; the impacts of the mill on the marine environment of northern Tasmania were outlined by Jon Bryan of the Tasmanian Conservation Trust; Trudy Maluga of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre explained how the pulp mill would damage her people’s culture and heritage; Bob McMahon from Tasmanians Against the Pulpmill; and Danielle Ecuyer from the Wentworth-based Women for Change Alliance spoke of the concern in Sydney about the pulp mill and its contribution to climate change.

The biggest and warmest reception was for Senator Bob Brown, who pledged to fight the pulp mill all the way to the ballot box and into the banks.

The crowd was particularly scathing of Peter Garrett, who was booed every time his name was mentioned.