As Treasurer Flies Out on Last Taxpayer Funded Junket
The Tasmanian Greens today said that Treasurer Michael Aird needs to remember that he was elected by the Tasmanian people to represent the community, not just the vested interests of one company and called on Mr Aird to start behaving as a statesman, rather than as a messenger boy for Gunns’ Ltd.
Greens Shadow Pulp Mill spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that as an elected representative it is a fair expectation of the community’s that Minister Aird provides all sides of the pulp mill debate should he meet with potential investors, and not just the company’s.
“Treasurer Aird is an embarrassment for the State and the spectacle of him behaving like a messenger boy for Gunns’ polluting native forest destroying pulp mill proposal will be damaging to Tasmania’s international clean, green reputation,” Mr Booth said.
“If Michael Aird was a statesman representing the Tasmanian community he would be telling the world that the State’s population overwhelmingly opposes this polluting proposal which will throw the state into chaos should an attempt to start this controversial project occur.”
“Treasurer Aird should also explain that the project depends on 20 years of native forest for feedstock and that the critical issues of public health and safety, pollution of the Tamar Valley air shed, log truck dangers, water availability, damage to native forests, effects on other industries and alarmingly the effect of dioxin contamination on the States coastal waters and beaches were not assessed.”
“Treasurer Aird should also be explaining that this project was found to be critically deficient by the RPDC and was fast tracked by a an Act of Parliament that contained the iniquitous Section 11 which totally removes peoples’ common law rights to damages as a result of the approval.”
“If Michael Aird tries to pretend that these important issues do not exist when speaking to potential pulp mill funders then he will be guilty of misleading them, and of abandoning the Tasmanian electors.”
“The world has moved on from ecologically damaging proposals such as Gunns’ native forest pulp mill and Treasurer Aird’s messenger-boy behaviour risks turning away investment in clean industry as well as damaging our tourism brand.”
“Premier Bartlett needs to explain who is the puppet and who is the puppeteer and pull Mr Aird back from this last desperate junket on the public purse,” Mr Booth said.
Kim Booth MP Greens Pulp Mill spokesperson
