This has got to stop

ATTENTION:
1 It has been established that The Pulp Mill Permit expired on the 30th of August because there had not been a substantial commencement of the Project. That project stretches 50 kilometres from Trevallyn to Bass Strait. It includes a water pipeline, a pulp mill, a chemical factory, a quarry, a water reservoir and a solid waste landfill site. It includes the effluent pipeline Long Reach to the coast and extending out into Bass Strait. It includes a workers’ village in Launceston. None of this has been commenced.

2 We have seen the images of the earth moving equipment which began to arrive at Long Reach on the final day or so before The Permit expired. We saw Code Green trying to prevent these machines from entering the site.

3 And now we see that this equipment is now at work on the site. In this communication to Tas Times, are contained three images which show that work is beginning to take place now, a week after The Permit expired.

PLEASE:
Let it be noted by all that this work commenced after The Permit expired. I call on the Director of the EPA, Alex Schaap, to explain how it is that Gunns are not restrained from these activities in the absence of a Permit. How is it that they can be allowed to do this? The Director himsef, having at first announced publicly that as far as he was concerned, Gunns could carry out works that had been covered by the Pulp Mill Permit until such time as a court made a ruling on the status of The Permit.

However, things changed when it emerged that the 4 permits relating to the Water Management Act required ‘substantial completion’ rather than the others which required ‘substantial commencement’. Mr Schaap then changed his position and told the public that Gunns had now been asked to demonstrate to the EPA that they had indeed substantially progressed the project. He has yet to advise the public as to any response from Gunns to his request.

How is it then, that Gunns can be allowed to commence these works one week after The permit expired. Our Director has some explaining to do. So has the Minister. So has the Premier. This work is illegal. Are Gunns always going to be above the law? In the name of justice, I call on Gunns to halt this work. I call on the Director, the Minister and the Premier to act to suspend this project and not to allow any more bending of the rules. This has got to stop.

Garry Stannus

Please contact me at:
email: garrystannus@hotmail.com
phone: 0418 139 231