NORTH WEST SMELTER TO USE NATIVE FOREST

Government Secrecy Risks Community Division

The Tasmanian Greens today said that the Treasurer’s refusal for the second day in a row to rule out the use of native forests in the silica mine and smelter proposed for Tasmania’s north-west means that it is overwhelmingly likely that forests from the Tarkine will be used.

Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that the Michael Aird had also failed for the second day in a row to guarantee that a manufacturing plant will be part of the proposal.

“Twice the Treasurer has been asked to guarantee that the project will include a manufacturing plant, and twice he has failed to do so. And twice the Treasurer has been asked to rule out the use of native forests in the project, and twice he has failed to do so,” Mr McKim said.

“It is now fair to conclude that the Treasurer’s silence is confirmation that forests from the Tarkine will be used by this project, and that a manufacturing plant is unlikely to be part of the plan.”

“If native forests are not going to be involved, surely Mr Aird would have ruled it out by now.”

“It is not good enough for the Treasurer to claim commercial in confidence as an excuse to keep Tasmanians in the dark. Mr Aird was provided the opportunity to justify how answering these questions could possibly breach commercial in confidence conditions and he did not take that opportunity.”

“It is the Bartlett government’s secrecy and refusal to rule out use of the Tarkine forests that is already making this project more controversial and divisive than it should be.”

“It is an insult to the Tasmanian taxpayer that their money can be used to underpin a project that they don’t know anything about due to excessive and typical government secrecy.”

Mr McKim repeated that the Greens believe that the project may be a good one for Tasmania, particularly given the potential end use of any silicon produced, but that more details were necessary before an informed view can be formed.
Nick McKim MP Greens Leader