Coroner & Legal
New party wants probe into mill assessment process
Please be advised that we, the Ethics & Sustainability Party (www.esparty.org), early last week applied to Tasmanian Electoral Commission for state registration of our party.
The Electoral Commissioner on Friday confirmed that an advertisement in this regard would be published today in The Mercury, The Examiner (see newspaper page 31), The Advocate and in the Tasmanian Government Gazette.
Our party interim constitution is viewable at the bottom of our website. Our policies will generally appeal more to those voters who swing between Liberal and Labor but who avoid voting for the Tasmanian Greens.
See ABC Political commentator Antony Green’s comments in this regard in his recent Tas Stateline interview:
http://www.abc.net.au/stateline/tas/content/2006/s2656469.htm
This will no doubt impact significantly on Liberal and Labor chances of either major party forming a majority government. Our target group of voters might amount to as much as 15% of electors. This together with the 16% of the vote that Tas Greens traditionally obtain, could be highly significant in controlling the shape and form of the post-March 20 Tasmanian Government.
E&S Party is not an anti-mill party but rather most clearly and definitely an anti-fast-track-assessment party that is not really against any sort of factory construction in the Tamar Valley provided it is comprehensively, independently and transparently assessed by the Tasmanian Planning Commission. We seek to remind electors that fast track assessment in this case really amounts to a non-independent blinkered assessment and should not be trusted, and furthermore most definitely the permit should not have been extended by two years.
We anticipate working with Tasmanian Greens to assist in accomplishing many environmental objectives such as ending old growth logging, clamping down on pesticide spraying in water catchment areas and curbing the Forestry Industry’s “favoured son” status within Tasmania’s planning regulatory framework.
We are politically middle-of-the-road, i.e. slotting into the political spectrum between Democrats and Labor; see our website’s more extensive explanation regarding this. Both Liberal and Labor parties could potentially benefit from our support in a post-March 20 state government, depending on concessions each might agree to make regarding conducting a full, independent assessment of the proposed Gunns Tamar Valley pulp mill.
Please let us know if you have further questions regarding the above. You will note from our constitution that opposing the fast track assessment of the Gunns Tamar Valley pulp mill is our principal objective and so we consider the Tasmanian Greens to be an important ally, and look forward to a long and productive working relationship working together with them tackling various environmental issues.
What the Examiner reports today:
Proposed party wants probe into mill assessment process
12 Jan, 2010 01:00 AM
A NEW political party is calling for the Gunns Bell Bay pulp mill proposal to be reassessed.
The Ethics and Sustainability Party has lodged a party registration application with the Tasmanian Electoral Commission.
On its website the party lists two objectives: to oppose the 2007 fast-track assessment of the pulp mill and to stand candidates at the March 20 state election.
Interim vice-president of communications Peter Wilson said the party would stand candidates in a number of electorates for the election, and not just Bass, if the party was officially registered in time.
Mr Wilson said the Ethics and Sustainability Party – which had 250 members – was “not an anti-pulp mill party but an anti-fast-track assessment party”.
“We see this as more than just a pulp mill issue,” Mr Wilson said.
“There are quite a few issues relating to ethics which have dogged the Bartlett Government and a lot of people would regard the state Liberal Party as not really having done a great job in that area either.”
Mr Wilson said his party’s policies would attract voters who swing between Liberal and Labor but do not vote for the Greens.
“We are politically middle of the road,” he said.
“Both Liberal and Labor parties could potentially benefit from our support in a post-March 20 government, depending on concessions each might agree to make regarding conducting a full, independent assessment of the proposed Gunns Tamar Valley pulp mill.”