The Committee Chair has a self-disclosed pecuniary interest in Ta Ann Tasmania P/L

Submission to the Legislative Council Select Committee on the Tasmanian Forests Agreement Bill 2012

I seek to make a written submission to the Committee. In my view the Committee into the Forests Agreement Bill 2012 is illegitimate because the Committee Chair has a self-disclosed pecuniary interest in Ta Ann Tasmania P/L.

Please see the attached documents from 2008 and 2011 (downloadable below) that show how the Chair of the Committee Paul Harriss MLC declared a pecuniary interest in Ta Ann due to receiving gifts from that company.

Given that Ta Ann Tasmania is the main commercial beneficiary of any decision on Tasmania’s public forests, I cannot see how the honourable member can Chair this committee and claim not to have a conflict of interest or be regarded as independent.

In view of the fact the Legislative Council played a major role in imposing a useless and expensive ‘Integrity Commission’ on Tasmania, isn’t it time they ended the hypocrisy and reversed the cynical opinion of politicians held by the general public and adopted basic standards of integrity themselves?

Karl Stevens
Beaconsfield Tasmania

Download documents:

plugin-Sub_49.1_-_Karl_Stevens_attachment_1_.pdf

plugin-Sub_49.2_-_Karl_Stevens_attachment_2_.pdf

• First published with other submissions, from Simon Grove to John Hawkins: HERE

• Watch the proceedings: HERE

• Submission by Malcolm Mars, Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Taroona: Unfortunately I have very little confidence in a Committee chaired by Paul Harriss who has publicly stated his opposition to the establishment of more reserves in Tasmania and who is listed on the public record as having received financial gifts on two separate occasions from Ta Ann Tasmania, a company which is set to benefit significantly should the Bill be passed.
Download Malcolm’s submission:
plugin-Sub_94_-_Malcolm_Mars.pdf