Interview on ABC Hobart radio, February 11, 2014.
Leon Compton: If a Government trying to assist the Pulp mill project shows the legislation to a stakeholder before it goes to Parliament. Here’s what Geoffrey Cousins has to say…
Geoffrey Cousins: Because it’s corruption of proper process and that’s what’s plagued this Gunns issue from, ahh … years ago when the public hearing process was arbitrarily closed down. Government’s create legislation in order to serve their people as best they can. They don’t suddenly, for commercial interests within a couple of days cook it up, send a draft off to those persons who are trying to, ahh . … to regain some money and ask them whether they’d like to change anything. I’ve been on public company boards in Australia for nearly three decades now and I don’t think I’ve heard of such a thing before. It’s entirely inappropriate, not on the part incidentally of KordaMentha, the [Gunns] Receivers … I’m no in anyway critical of them. But as far as the Tasmanian Government is concerned, I’m afraid to say this just continues the very poor governance that has been exhibited in this matter right from the start.
Leon Compton: How is it corrupt?
Geoffrey Cousins: Well, corruption doesn’t just mean exchange of … of money; people might think it does, but it doesn’t. You can corrupt the process, and indeed often you get… you get, ahh … worse results – not just by one person taking some money as a bribe – you get, you get worse results and greater negative impact on society because you corrupt the whole process, that is taking place. And that’s certainly, I think from anyone’s assessment, what’s happened with this Gunns matter over many years now.
Leon Compton: How to you know that KordaMentha received the legislation before it was approved by Cabinet. The Government this morning reject absolutely any claim they [KM] saw it and say they got the same day it was released publicly – on January 21.
Geoffrey Cousins: Well, I had a meeting with, ahh … KordaMentha and they told me that they receive a draft of it [the Pulp Mill Assessment Act 2014].
Leon Compton: Why did you have a meeting with KordaMentha? What were you talking about?
Geoffrey Cousins: I had a meeting with them… you see, my practice in these matters has always been try and shine light into dark corners. So, I go and see the principles and ahh, … I … if they’ll see me, and often they do, and I ask them all sorts of questions. I asked KordaMentha particularly about what they were going to put in the “Risks” Section of the document that they’ll give to bidders. Because when you send out a sort of tender document for things like this – yes fine, you can put in all the benefits that might come from building such a mill as far as they see it – but you also have to put in the risks attached; that’s just standard business practice. So I put to them that they could possibly suggest in that “Risks” Section that the passing of this legislation – as improper as it had been – by the State Government, lowered the risks; even though the Premier seems to be suggesting that. And they said: Well, why do you say that? I said, for the simple reason that the biggest operating risk for that project, I think you’ll agree would be the effluent; whether or not the flow of effluent into Bass Strait is polluting the waters. And they said: Yes, we accept that. And I said, fine. That’s a responsibility of the federal Government – nothing whatever to do with the State Government. So changing a State law can’t possibly lower that risk. Ahh, they [KM] did not contest that, and I believe being responsible people they will say that in their “Risk” section.
Leon Compton: What awaits, in your view, any party that might seek to buy the permits; or in fact buy the permits to build the pulp mill in Tasmania?
Geoffrey Cousins: Well, I don’t believe there will be anyone. But if someone was crazy enough, because even the economics don’t stack up at all – and I’m a business man and I’ve had a pretty good look at that. And I don’t believe that anyone in their right mind would bid for it. But let’s say somebody does, and let’s say they actually try to build it – the opposition to this has just grown and grown over the years. When I first got involved I can remember a lot of people felt you just couldn’t beat Gunns, you know they’d always won in Tasmania. Now everyone thinks that we’ve won. So, if somebody came back and actually tried to re-ignite this issue and actually build this thing. I belief the [community] opposition in Tasmania would be unprecedented and I don’t think they’d have a chance of ever getting it up.
Did Tasmanian Premier’s office give draft to pulp mill?
ABC1 TV 7.30 program – 10 February 2014
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2013/s3941882.htm
GEOFF COUSINS, BUSINESSMAN & ENVIRONMENTALIST: For the Government to be doing that is really quite shameful.
MICHAEL ATKIN: Businessman and former Howard Government advisor Geoff Cousins was at the forefront of the last campaign against the mill, targeting potential investors.
GEOFF COUSINS: There’s no mill there. There is never going to be one there.
MICHAEL ATKIN: Last week, he met with KordaMentha. They revealed the Premier’s office sent them a draft of the legislation to approve before it was tabled in Parliament.
GEOFF COUSINS: They had a meeting with the Premier and that they asked to see the draft legislation and that within a matter of days, it duly arrived – something rather outside my long corporate experience, I must say. The process was corrupt, in my view.
MICHAEL ATKIN: Publicly, KordaMentha has said there are six interested parties, with only some considering developing the mill, but Geoff Cousins claims they confirmed speculation there is no serious investor for the mill.
GEOFF COUSINS: They had no way of knowing whether there were and that they could not know until – I think it’s the end of March when bids are finally due to come. So, they do not in fact know whether there is anyone.
…
MICHAEL ATKIN: Backers of the mill are worried the public pressure might have already scared off investors. … That pressure is exactly what Geoff Cousins is promising if a last-minute investor emerges.
GEOFF COUSINS: We won, and if somebody now tries to reverse that decision, you will see social unrest in Tasmania greater than the Franklin River.
