I am very pleased that the DPP is going to pursue John Gay for the full proceeds of crime. I think around Australia people were shocked that the fine that John Gay received, $50,000, for insider trading was all that occurred. White-collar crime is serious and I think it is important that if John Gay made $3 million out of insider trading, that the $3 million be returned.

When were you made aware the DPP was pursuing the full amount?

I’ve just been following it in the media, I’ve had no private briefings or information. I welcome the fact that ASIC is getting serious about white-collar crime. We have seen an awful lot of other prosecutions leading to young people ending up in prison and there is an enormous resentment about the fact that people on corporate boards get away with substantial white-collar crime and don’t end up in prison and don’t end up having to return the proceeds of that crime. That is why this ASIC case against John Gay is so important.

On another Tasmanian story, the Abbott government is really mounting a major assault on Tasmania. It is bad enough that getting rid of the clean energy package and a major attack on renewable energy target is hitting the state budget hard, is hitting the Hydro hard, but the attack on the University is another example of it. For example, taking away the capacity for Tasmania to raise the research dollar that it has will end really costing us as a University. I am really proud of the fact that as a regional university Tasmania has been able to attract world-class scientists our hub here on the Antarctic Southern Ocean and climate science is world-class and that is now reflected in the fact that we have had nearly $100 million earnings from our research program. We’re attracting foreign students were making a name for ourselves and this is the future for jobs and investment in Tasmania. I am hoping that the Chinese will declare Hobart to be there base. That would be the next major advancement for jobs and investment in our university, in research, in tourism. That is not going to happen if the federal government keeps up this assault on universities, deregulating fees and making such substantial cuts. So I am calling on Eric Abetz and calling on Will Hodgman to stop actually protecting the Prime Minister and actually get out there and take on the Federal Cabinet because they are seriously undermining the future of Tasmania. The future for us, the competitive advantage, is in renewable energy, in climate science, in Southern Ocean science, and we are losing if the federal government continues this assault on universities funding

Matthew Groom is making a last ditch attempt to change their mind on the RET he is flying to Canberra this week, what chance does he have do you think?

Tony Abbott has made pretty clear that he wants to destroy renewable energy. It was his idea to abolish the renewable energy target altogether. The sad fact is that because of the level of uncertainty they have already created about the future of renewable energy there will not be investments in large-scale renewable energy in the foreseeable future. But small-scale is still there and I would encourage people to get out and put solar panels on their rooves and solar hot water as soon as you can just to show Tony Abbott he is going in the wrong direction and the community favours renewable energy.

Are people like Matthew Groom in a difficult situation when he is obviously a big supporter of renewable energy and yet his colleagues in Canberra do not seem to share the same views?

I think it is time that if Matthew Groom supports a clean energy future, supports renewable energy, that he stands up and really condemns the direction of the Abbott government and rejects utterly the Warburton report on renewable energy. The problem with the Tasmanian Government is that they are really attacking the federal government with a wet lettuce leaf. Frankly, it is pathetic. If they are going to make a stand they need to stand with the jobs, with the University, with the renewable energy future, and against Eric Abetz. It’s time to take on the federal government.
Australian Greens Leader Christine Milne