Yours is a government addicted to chaos

Bob McMahon TAP
Outside the West Tamar Council Chambers at Riverside on Tuesday Oct 21, I stated that people in Tasmania should not comply with State and Local Government planning requirements. This was correctly reported in the Examiner the following day and drew just the response I had hoped from the State Government. I completely agree with Minister Cox’s response. Ignoring proper planning procedures is “irresponsible”. It is also dangerous and socially de-stabilizing.

Why then did Minister Cox’s government, with Liberal Party support, do just that last March by facilitating the withdrawal of the pulp mill from the properly constituted planning authority, the RPDC, and then ramming a fast track assessment through Parliament? Did the Government not guess this would result in chaos?

Minister, yours is a government addicted to chaos and the most spectacular example, to date, is the Pulp Mill Assessment Act.

Spare a thought for the effect of this ill-considered, confusing, threatening and irresponsible Act of Parliament on the West Tamar Councillors on Tuesday. They very properly decided they had no power under the PMAA to grant Gunns a water pipeline easement on public land.

In unanimously coming to this decision they handballed the problem straight back to your government where it properly belongs, because you created it. Sort out your own mess Minister before you lecture others on “irresponsibility”. Repeal the PMAA and start again.

Otherwise the anarchy you have created will continue. Tasmanians are saying that if it’s good enough for the State Government and Gunns to ignore proper planning procedures and due process, then it’s good enough for the people.

Bob McMahon
Exeter