More evidence of abuse of process in the Tasmanian Governments pulp mill assessment process. Damning report about siting of Gunns Pulp Mill in Tamar Valley.........and.........Follow Parliamentary webcast of Greens private members motion on unassessed areas of the proposed Gunns Tamar Valley Pulp Mill

Parliamentary Webcast Here

NOTICE OF MOTION

15 March 2011

Kim Booth MP on tomorrow to move - That the House notes that the following areas of risk from the proposed Gunns’ pulp mill for Longreach have not been properly assessed via an independent process:
1. The bio accumulation of persistent organic pollutants in the state’s coastal waters and marine areas, and potential contamination of fish stocks which has been raised as a concern by those in the Tasmanian fishing industry;
2. The distribution and long term effects of fine particle pollution on residents in the Tamar Valley;
3. Noise and odour impacts;
4. The long term effects on catchment hydrology, water yields and availability;
5. The effect on the social and economic viability of rural and regional communities;
6. The infrastructure damage to roads and bridges by log and chemical truck traffic;
7. Disaster management;
8. Site selection, particularly in context of impacts upon local amenity and other businesses in the Tamar valley; and
9. The social and economic costs of the project to the state and in particular the Tamar valley.

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From the Launceston Examiner .......

.......The letter said there was very little documented evidence to meet the Resource, Planning and Development Commission guidelines. "The assessment process undertaken by Gunns falls well short of the guideline requirements and assessment which would typically be undertaken for such a project," it said.
"By tampering or attempting to enhance that process you run a serious risk of jeopardising the validity of the site selection and consequently threatening the project approvals."
The consultant's name was blacked out in the document, along with identifying references to their company. Bass Greens MHA Kim Booth said it was more evidence Gunns had manipulated the assessment process, and then pulled out when it became clear it was going to fail the RPDC guidelines.
Mr Booth has moved a motion - to be debated today - calling for the Pulp Mill Assessment Act to be repealed because a number of risk areas had not been properly assessed. The consultant's letter said they had been instructed not to use certain methodologies in assessing the best site - between Longreach and Hampshire near Burnie. The letter also said information was collected from the Department of Primary Industries, Water and the Environment, but was not used in the assessment. "Whilst the outcomes may not be what you want (the consultants are) protecting Gunns' interests by presenting the most defendable outcome from the data available," it said    Read More Here