In this issue June 2010:

Hot off the press
Who is Timo Piilonen
New lobby group: Friends of the Tamar Valley
Update from Getup!
Update from Pulp the Mill
Update from The Wilderness Society
Peaceful People with Passion dinner
Report that smoke
What’s in the news
What is the No Pulp Mill Alliance?

Hot off the press!
Speculation of a Chinese take over of Gunns is casting a polluting cloud over the Tamar Valley.
We’ve had some great victories in the campaign – notable recent events being the demise of John Gay and Robin Gray.
Now is the time to make sure that a restructure of the forestry industry in Tasmania really happens. And getting a new board for Gunns that is no longer under the influence of Gay-Gray is just the start.
The Australian Financial Review suggested that Chinese firm Asia Pacific Resources International could be eyeing Gunns’ considerable plantation estate, which has been valued at close to $1 billion.
Other Chinese companies rumoured to be interested include Nine Dragons, Asia Pulp & Paper, Hunan Tiger Paper and Chenming.
In the past week, about 37 per cent of the timber company has changed hands.
Read more here:
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2010/06/01/149561_tasmania-news.html

Who is Timo Piilonen?

Gunns has hired Finnish national Timo Piilonen as Pulp Mill Director Southern Star Corporation to deliver the Bell Bay Mill. And while Gunns touts his credentials and ability to build a “world scale pulp mill”, Piilonen is really known for his hard and inflexible positions maintained during a very conflictive mega kraft pulp mill project that went up in South America nearly five years ago and that continues to generate serious local conflict.
http://oldtt.pixelkey.biz/index.php?/weblog/article/who-is-timo-piilonen/

New lobby group Friends of the Tamar Valley
A new community group has joined the No Pulp Mill Alliance to fight the proposed mill in the Tamar Valley. Residents from a broad cross-section of the Tamar Valley community have united to speak out against impacts to quality of life in the valley.
As a member of the Alliance, the group hopes that its work will complement the activities of other lobby groups fighting the Tamar Valley pulp mill. “As concerned residents, we will be working closely with other groups and stakeholders in the Tamar Valley,” Said Tony Saddington, a founding member. “We believe our group will be an effective new voice to be heard among the cries to put a stop to this mill now.”

Update from Getup!
In the build up to the Federal Election, Getup plans to launch a major national campaign on forestry. Tasmania will be a special focus of the campaign. The Gunns pulp mill and protecting high conservation value native forests are long-standing priority issues for GetUp members and GetUp expects a very positive response to this campaign from its membership.

Update from Pulp the Mill
The full hearing for the Parliament House No. 2 Peaceful Protest, (with Peter Cundall and Molly Taylor as our test cases) is now to be heard in the Hobart Magistrates Court on September 23 at 10 am.
Meanwhile, the verdict for Frances Mamo and Lucy Landon-Lane, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of trespass for the Beaconsfield Protest, will be handed down on June 22 at 2.15 pm in the Launceston Magistrates Court.
All supporters welcome! Any queries please contact [email protected]

Update from The Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society has been working cooperatively with shareholders, investors and other stakeholders to end the conflict over forestry and achieve a win-win outcome for jobs and the environment. In recent weeks there has been a major breakthrough.

For more details go to: http://www.wilderness.org.au/articles/gunns-board-reform-major-breakthrough

Peaceful People with Passion

Mid-Winter Benefit dinner & auction to celebrate the community campaign ‘Pulp the Mill’
With Guest Speakers Peter Cundall, Richard Flanagan and Paul Oosting; and Exotic Dance Performance.
Saturday July 24th – Sirens Restaurant – Hobart – Tasmania
www.pulpthemill.org
(Note from editor: The big question is whether the guest speakers are also doing the exotic dance performance.)

Report that smoke
Report incidents of air pollution in the Tamar Valley to both your local council and to the Pollution Incidents and Complaints Hotline – the Environment Department keeps a record of all incidents. It’s all useful information to support the case against a polluting pulp mill in our beautiful valley.
All information or complaints about smoke from planned burns must be counted in the Forest Practices Authority’s reports. The more complaints the greater the evidence. Tell them what you know and make your complaints at http://www.fpa.tas.gov.au/index.php?id=135
POLLUTION INCIDENTS AND COMPLAINTS HOTLINE – 1800 005 171

What’s in the News:
Gunns messier than a freshly chainsawed coupe
IS the trashed Gunns a takeover target, a la Sigma Pharmaceuticals? The (old-growth) jungle drums are beating louder since the Tassie forestry group’s disposal of its retail hardware assets to the Woolworths-Danks venture for $40 million.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/opinion/sniffing-eucalyptus-in-a-wind-of-change/story-e6frg9lo-1225871284301
Forestry crisis is a once-in-a-lifetime chance
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2010/05/28/191341_opinion-news.html
Threatened with an ugly end, Gray opts to go quietly
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/threatened-with-an-ugly-end-gay-opts-to-go-quietly/story-e6frg8zx-1225872724235
Gunns shares continue to soar
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-business/gunns-shares-continue-to-soar-20100531-wq7a.html

What is the No Pulp Mill Alliance?
The role of the No Pulp Mill Alliance is information sharing and networking, between groups and individuals opposed to the Tamar Valley Pulp Mill. We welcome new members, both groups and individuals. Contact [email protected] if you wish to become a member or subscribe to our enews.

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