Labor Leader Bryan Green today accused the Liberal Government of a deceitful and lazy response to challenges facing the mining industry on the West Coast.
“The Liberals have abandoned their pre-election commitment to ban appeals by environmental groups against mining developments in Tasmania,” Mr Green said.
“Now the leader of the Government’s West Coast Working Group, Adam Brooks, needs to come clean on whether he went on holidays to Queensland following the closure of the Mt Lyell mine in Queenstown.
“Mr Brooks appears to have taken a wrong turn on the way to Queenstown, did he end up sunning himself in Queensland instead?
“My office was inundated with calls from people on the West Coast who were angry at being fobbed off by a recorded message when they tried to contact Mr Brooks’ office.
“It is not good enough and sends a dreadful message to the people of the West Coast.
“Mr Hodgman needs to call Mr Brooks to account or immediately replace him on the working group.
“As we’ve seen so often Mr Brooks is all talk and no action.
“When he was the Liberal’s mining spokesman prior to the last election, Mr Brooks gave an unequivocal commitment to ban appeals against Venture Minerals Riley mine.
“Now we see Venture suspending operations at the Riley mine because of ongoing appeals and an unfavourable economic environment.”
Mr Brooks said that under the Liberal’s mining policy:
“Neither Save the Tarkine nor any other Green front group would have the right to delay, frustrate and even kill off mining projects. Our policy is very clear”….Advocate, June 7, 2013.
“Under questioning in Parliament today, Will Hodgman refused to say whether that was still the Liberal’s policy,” Mr Green said.
“The mining industry and the people of the West Coast need to know whether the Liberals stand by the policy announced by Mr Brooks, and if so, what action the Premier or his Resources Minister have taken to implement this policy.”
Bryan Green MP Labor Leader
