BARTLETT MUST ACT NOW IF SERIOUS ABOUT SMITHTON CO-OP OPTION

www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today urged the Bartlett government to prioritise supporting a co-operative to take over the McCain Smithton plant, saying that establishing a co-op will require time to raise the funds, create a structure, and most importantly secure the necessary operating machinery.

Greens Leader Nick McKim MP, who has long advocated that a co-operative model be explored for the King Island Beef abattoir, said that there is a real risk that when a multinational company picks up and leaves, that it will also asset strip its facility.

“The Greens have long advocated that co-operative models provide farmers, workers, and the community, empower communities and bring people together, and ultimately take local production away from the whims of multinational companies, and back into the hands of local people,” Mr McKim said.

“Concerns have already been raised that McCain intends to relocate its operating equipment to Hastings in New Zealand, which if this was to happen would hamstring the creation of any new Tasmanian vegetable growers co-operative.”

“The Bartlett government also needs to decide whether it is serious about supporting a Smithton co-op, and if so, to start to negotiate with McCains over the potential sale of both the factory and its equipment, and get in place strategies and expert assistance for the community to start to work through some of the logistical aspects of establishing a co-op.”

“We need to look closely at the legislative frameworks in place around co-ops, assess whether they do enough to facilitate and enable their creation, particularly farmers co-ops, and ensure that funding sources, and asset retention or purchase are factored in.”

“Farmers, suppliers and workers need to know sooner rather than later that there will be a viable alternative, and that is why we need a clear direction from the government that they intend to take the co-op model seriously and start to get in place mechanisms to ensure it could be up and running as soon as is practicable.”

Mr McKim also reiterated his disappointment that the Bartlett government had chosen to blatantly politicise the Community Taskforce by refusing to allow either of the Opposition parties to participate.

“The Premier should be big enough to put partisan politics aside, and encourage everyone to get involved and do their best for the Smithton community, the farmers and contracters who will be affected by McCains decision. They should be the priority, not Labor’s electoral chances.”
Nick McKim MP Greens Leader