Get over it Mr Brooks, it’s called the Tarkine

Pic: Nicole Anderson

Liberals Threatening Tourism Investment Confidence

The Tasmanian Greens today said that Liberal spokesperson Adam Brooks was seriously undermining tourism investment confidence in the Tarkine, with his constant talk about expanding mining and logging in the region.

Greens Member for Braddon Paul O’Halloran said Mr Brooks’ endless references to the “so-called Tarkine” were embarrassing for Tasmania, and were a serious attack on an internationally-renown brand that was currently delivering tourism dollars into the region.

“It’s obvious from his endless spin about the ‘so called Tarkine’ that Mr Brooks doesn’t care less about tourism jobs in the Tarkine, and that he just sees it as one big quarry and logging coupe,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“Nobody will want to invest in tourism in the Tarkine if Mr Brooks and his Liberal cohort continue with this kind of spin, which is undermining confidence of tourism operators in the region.”

“Mr Brooks craves the short term mining sugar hit and has no interest in the long term future of Tasmania as an eco-tourism destination.”

“The Tarkine is now an internationally recognised brand that’s associated with a place of rugged and remote beauty, and that is a precious asset for tourism operators and investors.”

“Tasmanians should be very afraid, because if Mr Brooks ever becomes Tasmania’s minister in charge of mining we can kiss goodbye to a future tourism industry in the Tarkine.”

“Mr Brooks wants to turn back the clock to a time when the Tarkine was considered just another source of raw commodities to be chopped down, dug up and shipped off for short term profit.”

“Even Forestry Tasmania now calls it the Tarkine, and the fact that Mr Brooks can’t accept that is a measure of how deluded he has become in his single minded obsession with mining the Tarkine.”

“Surely he must feel embarrassed every time he flies out of the Wynyard airport, and sees the giant screen promoting the Tarkine to visitors, who come here to experience this wild and remote side of Tasmania.”

“The Greens believe that the best way to protect this wilderness jewel for future generations would be to declare a Tarkine National Park.”

“It’s called the Tarkine and Mr Brooks just needs to get over it,” Mr O’Halloran said.

• Minister flags partial protection for Tarkine

Posted May 14, 2012 13:09:38

The Federal Environment Minister may protect only some parts of the Tarkine wilderness area in Tasmania’s north-west.

Tony Burke says the effect of existing mining rules out a blanket heritage listing for the Tarkine.

The Minister says it is not logical to view past and present mine sites in the area as having national heritage value.

“You’ve only got to look at a photo of Savage River and it’s pretty hard to argue that it should be viewed as natural heritage,” he said.

He wants to work out a way to appropriately protect the parts of the region that have significant environmental values.

The minister is waiting for advice from the Heritage Council on a possible national heritage listing.

“That means I don’t have a level of interest and I’ve said this before in putting emergency listings down in place,” he said.

“I want to make sure that we can isolate those areas that are the most significant and work out a constructive way of dealing with heritage that way.”

The next mining application for the Tarkine likely to be before the Minister is the next stage of Grange Resources’ Savage River magnetite operation.

• Minister flags partial protection for Tarkine, ABC Online here

• Senator Christine Milne

Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke’s comments ruling out a blanket heritage listing of the Tarkine owing to the presence of existing mining developments should be seen for what they are: yet another excuse to facilitate mining, Australian Greens Leader, Christine Milne said today.

“Minister Burke is raising a furphy in order to avoid his responsibility to immediately protect the heritage values of the Tarkine.

“The minister thinks it’s “pretty hard” to argue that the Savage River mine be considered as having natural heritage values.

“Well, Minister, we wholeheartedly agree, which is why the Savage River mine and pipeline, plus a 500 metre buffer zone, have been left out of the current application for heritage listing sitting on your desk.

“The Greens and the Tarkine National Coalition have never called for the blanket protection of the entire area; what we are calling for instead is the blanket protection of designated areas that are proven as having significant heritage values.

“It’s these areas that are at risk from nine current mining applications, and without immediate protection they risk losing their heritage values through development.

“Stop treating as fools the conservation movement which have campaigned for the area to be protected for many years.”

• MINISTER MUST RULE OUT TAXPAYER FUNDING FOR MINE ROAD
Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Member for Braddon

The Tasmanian Greens today said the Minister Resources, Bryan Green, had failed to give a solid commitment that taxpayer money would not be used to subsidise an access road into a proposed mine at Mount Lindsay in the Meredith Ranges Regional Reserve.

Greens Member for Braddon Paul O’Halloran MP pursued the Minister over concerns that the State is considering subsidising infrastructure needed by Ventura Minerals, following a statement made by an official from the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources that there is an apparent need for a 35km road upgrade between the mine and the Murchison Highway to be upgraded.

“The Minister needs to rule out any taxpayer money being used to subsidise this mining access road, as well as any other company infrastructure,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“Minister Green’s refusal to take the opportunity to rule out any current or future subsidisation requests or proposals is very worrying.”

“Right now the last thing the Minister should be doing is pouring more public money into subsidising a risky private mining venture in an environmentally sensitive wilderness area.”

“If any such promises have been made to Venture Minerals, then it is a serious misallocation of public resources at a time when the priority should hospitals, education and emergency services,” Mr O’Halloran said.

• ADAM BROOKS HAS A SERIOUS CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Reflects Will Hodgman’s Weak Leadership

The Tasmanian Greens today called on the Liberal Party Leader Will Hodgman address the conflict of interest between his mining spokesperson Adam Brooks’ private business interests and portfolio responsibilities.

Greens Member for Braddon Paul O’Halloran MP said that Mr Brooks was still actively operating his private business interests, while at the same time being a vocal political mouthpiece for the industry, cheering on every environmentally damaging mine project being proposed for the Tarkine.

“Mr Brooks was parachuted into a Liberal seat off the back of his mining fortune, from where he has pursued an obsessive and single-minded campaign on behalf of industry interests,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“While Mr Brooks has acknowledged his conflict of interest by publicly stating that none of his companies will tender for any mining work in the Tarkine, he has remained conspicuously silent on pursuing other mining interests around the state.

“This situation reflects on the Liberal Leader Will Hodgman, who should never have allowed this conflict to occur in the first place. He must now move to address this conflict of interest immediately.”

“Mr Brooks’ distain for tourism operators in the world-renown Tarkine has become so fanatical that he cannot even bring himself to talk about the area without using the embarrassing caveat ‘so-called’ Tarkine.”

“It’s obvious from all his cringe-inducing spin about the ‘so called Tarkine’ that Mr Brooks sees the region as one big quarry and logging coupe that should be made open slather for his industry mates.”

“It’s a frightening prospect that Mr Brooks wants to get his hands on the levers of government, because that would be the kiss of death for tourism into this beautiful and wild place.”

• MINISTER REFUSES TO RULE OUT MINE ROAD SUBSIDY

Paul O’Halloran MP
Greens Member for Braddon

The Tasmanian Greens today said the Minister Resources, Bryan Green MP, had again failed to rule out wasting taxpayers’ money upgrading a road to provide private access to a proposed mine at Mount Lindsay in the Meredith Ranges Regional Reserve.

Greens Member for Braddon Paul O’Halloran MP raised the matter in Parliament this morning, following recent statements by an official from the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources suggesting the State was considering providing funding to Venture Minerals for a 35 kilometre road upgrade.

“The Minister today confirmed that he had not received a direct request from the company for funding to upgrade the road, but he did indicate that road upgrades might be required for the project,” Mr O’Halloran said.

“Right now the last thing the Minister should be doing is pouring more public money into subsidising a risky private mining venture in an environmentally sensitive wilderness area.”

“The Greens do not believe that this would be an appropriate use of taxpayer money, at a time when frontline services are already stretched,” Mr O’Halloran said.