Dr WARWICK RAVERTY
Following Sodra’s announcement of the conditions they would impose on any hypothetical pulping joint venture in the Southern Hemisphere, a little idle speculation might be warranted as to how events might have unfolded had Sodra, or another equally professional company with high ethical standards taken control of Gunns ltd in 2004. Here are my suggestions:
If an ethical company had been the proponent, it’s pounds to peanuts that:
1. they would have chosen the Hampshire site;
2. following consultation with the local community, they would have planned the bleaching to be TCF from the start and used nothing but the Accepted Modern Technology specified in the Tasmanian Environmental Emission Limit Guidelines;
3. they would have done a deal with the Howard Govt to subsidise shipment of sufficient supplies of plantation eucalypt from Portland and/or Geelong to supplement the Tasmanian plantation eucalypt and made the mill 100% plantation woodchip based.
4. they would have told the whole truth and nothing but the truth to the Tasmanian and Australian public from day one and would have received the unwavering support of about 75% of Tasmanians ;
5. they would probably have been given State and Commonwealth approval (via RPDC recommendation) to go ahead in late 2006; and
6. the mill construction would be complete by now and commissioning would be starting next week.
However, there would also be disadvantages, and lest I be accused of offering up a one sided list (in the same vein as the Government’s analysis of the economic benefits of the Bell Bay proposal), here are six major disadvantages to consider:
7. Paul Lennon would still be Premier;
8. Paul Lennon would have had to pay ‘full whack’ for his house extensions;
9. Konsy would still be Deputy Premier despite his failing memory;
10. The shredder in Konsy’s Burnie office would still be functional;
11. Linda Hornsey would still be Secretary of DPAC; and
12. John Gay, Robin Gray and Les Baker would either be unemployed, or in partnership running a small hardware store in the outer suburbs of Invercargill.
But – as my wise old grandmother was fond of saying – ‘If ‘ifs’ and ‘ands’ were pots and pans, there’d be no trade for tinkers.’
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