Labor Sticks to Lennon-esque Script
www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today condemned the Bartlett government for guillotining debate on the controversial Pulp Mill Assessment Amendment Bill 2009, saying that it has continued the indefensible tradition established under Paul Lennon of putting Gunns’ pulp mill proposal before the interests of the community.
Greens Pulp Mill spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that moving to gag debate on this Bill was a mirror-image of ex-Premier Paul Lennon’s preferential treatment afforded to one proponent and its pet project that had so besmirched Tasmania’s and Labor’s reputation.
The Greens had attempted to amend the legislation to clarify that in fact the project had expired its two year permit, and also to require that before further works could occur that independent assessments of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions impacts, and air pollution impacts, were conducted.
“When it comes to the controversial pulp mill, it is now absolutely clear that no matter what, Labor is going to stick to its Lennon-esque script, including resorting to gagging democratic debate in the Parliament,” Mr Booth said.
“It was a scandal in 2007 when then-Premier Lennon gagged debate on the original legislation for the pulp mill once Gunns pulled out of the RPDC process, which meant that the Bill was never fully scrutinised and debated, and it was a further scandal when the gag was again imposed on amendments that came back down from the Upper House later that year.”
“Yet in a shocking mirror-image, Labor under David Bartlett chose to repeat that indefensible behaviour by gagging debate on this Bill which seeks to give the kiss of life to this project, which otherwise would be dead in the water.’
“Just as under Paul Lennon, under David Bartlett it is ‘all the way with John Gay’, no matter if that involves trampling proper process, good governance and democratic debate.”
Kim Booth MP Greens Pulp Mill spokesperson
