SG advice vote succeeds
This evening (Tuesday), the Legislative Council voted to require the Government to table advice from the Solicitor-General regarding the need to compensate Gunns due to the existence of so-called “residual legal rights” following its voluntary exit from native forest harvesting.
Only the two Labor members voted against the release of the advice.
The Government must now publicly release this advice.
As I noted in the debate today, it is not unprecedented for Solicitor-General’s advice to be released. Both Liberal and Labor Governments have previously released legal advice from the Solicitor-General on more than ten occasions over the past two decades.
• TCT drops Federal Court challenge
A federal court challenge to the Federal Government’s approval of the Tamar Valley pulp mill project has been withdrawn.
The Tasmanian Conservation Trust had appealed against the decision by the Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke in March, when he approved the re-routing of a water pipeline to Gunns’ Bell Bay site.
The trust’s director, Peter McGlone, says the legal action was stopped because of cost concerns.
Mr McGlone says while the Minister had agreed to restricted costs being recovered, they were concerned Gunns would not.
“This is very disappointing because Tony Burke had agreed to a reasonable restriction on our potential costs and we thought we had very good grounds for challenging the approvals,” he said.
“Essentially Gunns’ opposition to a costs order presented a financial risk that the TCT was unwilling to take.”
Gunns has been contacted for comment.
