73 per cent want Bartlett to end support

Vica Bayley Wilderness Society MR
The statewide poll of 1000 Tasmanians, carried out by EMRS between the 3rd and 7th November 2008, revealed 73% of people agreed that the Bartlett government should end its involvement with the pulp mill. Support for the mill has been reduced to an embarrassingly small rump of 20%. Of note is the fact that large majorities of Labor and Liberal voters (70% and 62% respectively) agree that government support for the mill should end.
MEDIA RELEASE – 17th November 2008

OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR BARTLETT TO MAINTAIN HIS LINE IN THE SAND ON PULP MILL

73% want Bartlett to end government support for the pulp mill as promised

The Wilderness Society today released poll results that show overwhelming support for Premier Bartlett to stick by his ‘line in the sand’ and end all government support for Gunns’ proposed pulp mill.

The statewide poll of 1000 Tasmanians, carried out by EMRS between the 3rd and 7th November 2008, revealed 73% of people agreed that the Bartlett government should end its involvement with the pulp mill. Support for the mill has been reduced to an embarrassingly small rump of 20%. Of note is the fact that large majorities of Labor and Liberal voters (70% and 62% respectively) agree that government support for the mill should end.

“The response from the Tasmanian public has been loud and clear. They want Premier Bartlett to honour his word to end government support for the pulp mill,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for The Wilderness Society.

Mr Bayley said that ending government support for the pulp mill entails:
• instructing Forestry Tasmania to terminate the native-forest-based wood-supply agreement for the pulp mill;
• terminating the pulp-mill approval permits;
• ruling out government support for pulp-mill infrastructure such as the pipeline; and
• ending the sovereign-risk agreement.

“Just ending the sovereign-risk agreement is not enough to constitute the end to government support for the mill that Premier Bartlett promised,” continued Mr Bayley.

Premier Bartlett has been invited to speak at a public event organised by the Wilderness Society on 23rd November at Kingston Beach near Hobart to reiterate his stance and announce an end to all government support for the mill.

“As Premier Bartlett has said, the pulp mill has created division in the community, Tasmanians have had enough, and we all deserve certainty about the future,” continued Mr Bayley.

“People all across Tasmania, especially in the Tamar valley, have their lives on hold while Gunns sits on the pulp mill project indefinitely. By honouring his word, Premier Bartlett can deliver Tasmanians some degree of certainty and allow them to get on with their business and personal lives.”

November 30th ‘Line in the Sand’

Background

In June, Tasmanian Premier Bartlett extended the deadline for Gunns to commence construction of the mill. It was extended from the end of June to 30 November. If Gunns does not commence by this date, then the Tasmanian Government can terminate a ‘sovereign-risk agreement’ with Gunns.

Mr Bartlett described the extended deadline for commencement of construction as a ‘line in the sand’ after which government support for the mill would end. Some of his comments that support this stance include:

• ABC Radio National Breakfast – 28 May 2008:

“There will be no more public money going into the pulp mill.”

“I would rule out the government owning or building such a pipeline.”
• The Australian – 1 July 2008:
“The Government has drawn the line in the sand,” Mr Bartlett said.
“The pulp mill project has divided the Tasmanian community significantly and we believe that the divisions should not last for too much longer.”
From November 30, government permits and involvement in the project would end unless Gunns had achieved “real” finance and “real progress” on construction.
“The Tasmanian people have a right to say ‘enough is enough’,” he said.
• ABC News- 2 July 2008
“I have drawn a line in the sand that says if the proponent can’t meet the requirements of the permit and gain finance and substantially commence the project by 30th of November this year then enough is enough,” he said.
“The Tasmanian Government will no longer be involved in this project.”
In August, Gunns made an announcement to the ASX that it was unlikely to have finance for the mill finalized before the first quarter of 2009 ‘with principal construction activities unlikely to commence before then. Subsequent developments in the international credit markets appear to have made it even more unlikely that Gunns will meet any of its deadlines.
In other words, the pulp mill will very definitely be on the wrong side of Premier Bartlett’s line in the sand.
An end to government support should entail:
• The clear instruction to Forestry Tasmania to take up the option to terminate the 20-year 1.5-million-tonnes-per-annum Wood Supply Agreement for the pulp mill;
• An iron clad guarantee that the Government would not be involved in securing Gunns land for the pipeline easement;
• Taking all possible steps to annul the permits issued by parliament as part of the approval under the Pulp Mill Assessment Act 2007.
• The termination of the $15-million sovereign-risk deal for the pulp mill;
• An end to the Tasmanian Government’s Pulp Mill Steering Committee.