*Pic: Instigator of the inquiry, Guy Barnett MP
3 August, 2014
Mr. Charles Casimaty,
Secretary
The House of Assembly
Standing Committee On community Development
Re: Inquiry into the Triabunna Woodchip Mill and Future Development
Opportunities for the Triabunna Region
Dear Committee Members,
I have decided to respond to the invitation from the Committee to make comment on a number of issues.
I do this in a voluntary capacity because I no longer work for Triabunna Investments. I finalized my role as the General Manager of Triabunna Investments in October, 2013.
First of all let me say that the political witch-hunt being conducted by the Liberal Party of Tasmania at the State and Federal level is an unconscionable waste of public money, will inevitably discourage new investors to the State and is designed to distract Tasmanians from the real task of Government to foster a prosperous and healthy future for all Tasmanians.
This latest attack by the Liberal Government on Triabunna Investments, its owners and staff has been a consistent pattern ever since Triabunna Investments acquired the closed and mothballed Triabunna Woodchip mill.
Not only did Triabunna Investments make a concerted and extremely expensive attempt to find a viable future for the mill it did so in the face of constant political attacks and attempts to frustrate both the operation of the mill or a new future for the site.
Some inconvenient Truths …
EARLIER on Tasmanian Times:
• STATE: Triabunna Inquiry Witness List Released. Protest laws to catch pensioners …
• APRIN: The Final Question. What Greg and Lara said. Marr to be mill boss!
• Kim Booth: Budget update ‘dropped’ late in attempt to hide from scrutiny “It is no coincidence that the Treasurer releases his so-called ‘preliminary estimates’ update at 3:30 in the afternoon on the same day that the first public hearings of the bread and circuses Triabunna Mill Inquiry are underway,” Mr Booth said. “Clearly the Liberals are trying to hide from scrutiny and the fact that it doesn’t matter how often they redo the state’s financial figures, it always comes back as an indictment on their push to strip Tasmania of at least $70 million each year in lost carbon tax dividends.”
• ABC, Triabunna inquiry: Mill owner Graeme Wood considers legal action over sale probe Millionaire environmentalist Graeme Wood is considering legal action against the chairman of a Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry into the sale of the Triabunna woodchip mill. Parliament’s cross-party community development committee is investigating the sale of the former Gunns mill in 2011 to Mr Wood, the Wotif founder, and Tasmanian businesswoman Jan Cameron. Allegations of personal grudges, political interference and hidden business agendas were made during Tuesday’s hearing. Mr Wood said the committee had exceeded the authority of parliament. In a statement, he said the terms of reference fell outside the committee’s scope and, as such, he believed parliamentary privilege no longer stood. He said the committee’s chairman, Liberal MP Guy Barnett, had used privilege to make “groundless criticisms” which were unjustified and inaccurate.
