MEDIA RELEASE – 12 Feb 2010
GUNNS PIPELINE
WHERE IS MINISTER STURGES?
TAP Into A Better Tasmania, (TAP) call on Minister for Infrastructure Graeme Sturges, to tell the Tasmanian community, especially those who live in the Tamar Valley, exactly what his Department knew in relation to the water pipeline for Gunns proposed pulp mill, and the Dilston Bypass.
“The Department for Infrastructure, Energy and Resources has been prominent in its dealings with Gunns, providing a $240,000 gift from the public purse to the company for a pipeline culvert, and what appears to be another gift of compulsorily acquired land for its pipeline,” said Bob McMahon, spokesman for TAP.
“To date Minister Sturges has been conspicuous by his absence, but clearly there are some serious questions to be answered about this pipeline, and as the person responsible for his department he should not be shirking behind David Llewellyn,” Mr McMahon said.
“The pulp mill remains nothing more than a private company’s proposal, with no certainty of funding, yet Tasmanian taxpayers are being duped into paying for infrastructure for a non-existent and controversial project, when our roads, schools, hospitals and railway services are crumbling for lack of funds,” he said.
Graeme Sturges met with Dilston residents and received a number of briefings about their concerns throughout last year.
Recent emails obtained under FOI highlight DIER’s complicity in the pulp mill pipeline, despite Premier David Bartlett declaring 18 months ago no further State Government support would be given to the pulp mill proposal.
DIER and mill supporters have previously denied links between the Dilston Bypass, and the water pipeline for the proposed pulp mill.
Bob McMahon
