Was it Deceit, or is it Corruption? Greens Call for Parliamentary Inquiry to Uncover the Truth
www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today announced that they will be calling for a full Parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the secret expenditure of $239,000 on a culvert for Gunns, in return for an emailed commitment from Gunns to only pay for the culvert if it achieves finance for its controversial Tamar Valley mill.
Greens Pulp Mill spokesperson Kim Booth MP said the Bartlett government’s secret gift of a $239,000 in public money to a private company is borderline corruption, and the fact that the culvert was constructed after the Premier had made his infamous claim that he was drawing a ‘line in the sand’ over further assistance for Gunns’ pulp mill proposal also raised serious questions about the credibility and honesty of David Bartlett himself.
“These are very, very serious matters that go to the heart of good governance and healthy democracy. The secret transfer of public money to a private company is the sort of behaviour that would be condemned by all Australians as corruption if it occurred in a third-world country,” said Mr Booth.
“Despite reporting a profit of $64.5 million dollars in 2007-2008, Gunns used poverty as an excuse to have the public pay for its new culvert.”
“The secret expenditure of $239,000 of public money on private infrastructure without any firm contract or proper arrangement in place raises serious questions about the probity of this Labor government, not to mention the potential for outright corruption.”
“This culvert was constructed well after David Bartlett claimed that he was drawing a ‘line in the sand’ over financial assistance for Gunns’ pulp mill proposal, and the Premier must now reveal exactly when he discovered this arrangement and why it was kept from the public for so long.”
“A lot of the publicly-funded infrastructure along the East Tamar Highway appears to have been constructed specifically for the proposed pulp mill, and the Greens will be calling for a full public inquiry into every cent of public money that this Labor Government has spent on Gunns’ private proposal for a pulp mill, especially the secret gift of a $239,000 culvert without any firm arrangement for repayment,” said Mr Booth.
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Kim Booth MP Greens Pulp Mill spokesperson
