I also wish to speak in support of the actions of Peter Cundall and his co-protestors.
My concerns regarding the pulp mill have always been mainly with the fast tracking process, its debasement of our Parliament and its insidious impact on government in Tasmania.
Apart from those matters raised by Mr. Cundall and Mr. McMahon in recent press reports, we should remind ourselves that there are several other aspects of the fast tracking process that deserve examination by an independent commission. I wish to raise two more here.
It has been widely discussed by Rick Pilkington and others in this forum, that the Premier of the day, Mr. Lennon, had specific knowledge that the RPDC had prepared a formal letter advising Gunns that their proposal for the development of the mill was “critically non compliant.” It is not clear what actions Mr. Lennon, or his then advisor Linda Hornsey, took to prevent that letter being delivered. We know it was not delivered.
However, I remain deeply suspicious that the timing of Gunns’ announcement to the ASX, that they were withdrawing from the RPDC process, was a co-ordinated action supported by Mr. Lennon as Premier. This raises questions of market manipulation as well as political manipulation.
It also remains unclear whether or not Mr. Lennon withheld information from the Parliament in the course of its deliberations on the fast track Pulp Mill Assessment Act. Was is clear to all members of Parliament that the RPDC had decided the proposal from Gunns was critically non-compliant? Did Mr. Lennon, as Premier, have a legal obligation to disclose and clarify this information, given that the RPDC was acting as a Statutory Authority in the pulp mill assessment?
If it can be shown that critical information was not disclosed, should the PMAA be declared invalid?
It is a travesty that Mr Cundall and others have to appear in court as a result of their peaceful protest action, when none of the murky trails of evidence relating to the corruption of process in the passage of the PMAA have been considered worthy of investigation by our legal guardians.
