$240,000 Gunns roadworks bill goes unpaid. As does Walker Corp bill. Man-up, Green told

GUNNS ROAD WORKS BILL GOES UNPAID

The Tasmanian Greens today said the Minister for Infrastructure had failed to answer why Gunns Ltd’s debt of close to a quarter of a million dollars for road works remained unpaid.

Greens Forestry spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and Resources had spent about $240,000 on a box culvert under the East Tamar Highway specifically to enable Gunns’ pulp mill pipeline to be laid under the highway.

Mr Booth said that in 2008, the Secretary of DIER forgave Gunns the original deadline to pay for the culvert, instead seeking a letter from Gunns they commit to paying for the works subject to the project going ahead.

“It appears that no effort to has been made to recover this money, and that Gunns is once again receiving special treatment from a Labor minister,” said Mr Booth.

“Gunns say they have substantially commenced the pulp mill, and Labor says it agrees that’s the case, so now it’s time for the company to receive its bill and pay up on time.”

“When I asked the Minister for Infrastructure David O’Byrne about what is effectively an interest-free loan with no repayment plan to Gunns, he was unable to provide any meaningful detail to the Parliament.”

“This is uncomfortably reminiscent of the bad old days when the State Government was firmly in Gunns’ pocket.”

“It is simply unacceptable that the Minister refuses to answer my questions in Parliament over the status of this quarter-million dollars, but the Greens will continue asking until we get to the truth.”

“This is money that is coming directly out of funding for services like police, nurses and teachers and the Greens will continue to pursue the Minister until this bill is paid,” said Mr Booth.

• Opposition fails to block funds

• WALKER CORP STILL REFUSING TO REPAY $700K TO PUBLIC PURSE

The Tasmanian Greens today said it was unacceptable that the Walker Corporation’s more than $700,000 owed to the public purse remains unpaid and that Labor appears relaxed about its repayment.

Greens Planning spokesperson Tim Morris MP said that the Attorney General Brian Wightman MP has failed to get this money repaid to the taxpayer.

“Yesterday, Parliament heard how the Minister for Infrastructure David O’Byrne MP was effectively giving Gunns an interest-free loan of $240,000 and today, Mr Wightman has confirmed his department’s effective interest-free loan of $721,108 to the wealthy Walker Corporation is continuing,” said Mr Morris.

“When Walker Corporation sought assessment of the Ralph’s Bay development proposal, it knew that it would be liable for the costs of the assessment.”

“For two years Walker Corporation has failed to pay debts owed from the costs it knowingly ran up over the assessment of the divisive Lauderdale Quay project.”

“In these tough economic times, the Greens strongly believe this public zero-interest debt should urgently be repaid and that Labor should demand its repayment at the very least.”

“On behalf of the public, the Greens will keep up the pressure on Mr Wightman to ensure this outstanding money is repaid, an undertaking he was singularly unable to give Parliament this morning,” said Mr Morris.

• MINISTER GREEN MUST STAND UP TO FORESTRY TAS
Ministerial Directive Needed to Bring FT to Heel

The Tasmanian Greens today called on the Minister for Forests Bryan Green to stand up to Forestry Tasmania and issue a Ministerial Directive – based on the one recently sent to TasPorts – that sets out the Government’s expectation that the agency’s actions comply with Government policy.

Greens Forestry spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that the Minister admitted in Budget Estimates that, following the signing of the IGA, Forestry Tasmania had been radically extending its sawlog contracts and potentially exposing taxpayers to a Commonwealth buyback under the IGA.

“It’s now on the public record that Forestry Tasmania has been aggressively locking in and extending supply contracts in defiance of the intent of the IGA and regardless of whether the timber is even available or in demand,” Mr Booth said.

“It’s crazy is that sawmillers who only just signed these extended sawlog contracts could now be eligible for a buy-back by the Commonwealth under the IGA.”

“How can this have been allowed to happen?”

“This is the story of an agency that is defiantly renewing and extending contracts at a time of market chaos and delicate negotiations, just to blackmail the taxpayer and wreck the forest peace process.”

“The Infrastructure Minister recently issued a joint Ministerial Statement of Expectation with the Treasurer to the Tasmanian Ports Corporation setting out the Government’s broad policy expectations and requirements for TasPorts, and there’s no reason Forestry shouldn’t receive the same directive.”

“The Minister’s failure to address my question in Parliament this morning is disappointing. It tells a story of a Minister who appears to be unable or unwilling to properly rein in the behaviour of this rogue agency,” Mr Booth said.