Pulp mill fast-track assessment

The pulp mill assessment: special deals and broken promises

Tasmanians protesting against Gunn's proposed Tamar Valley pulp mill

The fast-tracked assessment of Gunns’ proposed pulp mill has been plagued by abuse of due process and special deals for Gunns. The corruption of the assessment process has resulted in a pulp mill proposal that received little independent scrutiny, no assessment some of the project’s most significant impacts and an overwhelming lack of public support.

Originally the pulp mill was to be assessed by Tasmania’s independent planning authority, the Resource Planning and Development Commission (RPDC). In late 2004 the RPDC began work on establishing criteria and guidelines for the assessment of the pulp mill, the biggest development in Tasmania’s history. The RPDC process was accredited and supported by both State and Federal governments, the proponent of the project, Gunns, and opponents of the project.

The Integrated Assessment started by the RPDC was to look at economic, environmental, and social impacts of the project. This included impacts on climate change, native forests, other businesses that would be impacted such as fisheries and farming, and health impacts due to air pollution.

While the assessment was underway, the Tasmanian government under former Premier Paul Lennon and then Minister for Economic Development Lara Giddings established the Pulp Mill Task Force headed by Bob Gordon, who is now head of Forestry Tasmania. The Task Force was established to promote Gunns’ pulp mill and actively push pro-pulp mill propaganda around Tasmania by means of a road show, newspaper advertisements, media interviews and a website.

In letters obtained by The Wilderness Society through Freedom of Information, the Executive Commissioner of the RPDC, Julian Green, detailed his concerns that the Commission would be compromised in the eyes of the public and the assessment process would be seen to be contaminated unless the activities of the Task Force were “reined in”.

Premier Lennon never reined in the Task Force. In early January 2007 the head of the RPDC Julian Green and CSIRO pulp mill expert and member of the assessment panel Dr Warwick Raverty resigned from the RPDC. Mr Green cited political interference - especially the "activities of the Government-funded Pulp Mill Task Force" over the past two years - as the reason he was forced to quit. [1]

Following their resignations former Supreme Court judge Christopher Wright was appointed head of the pulp mill assessment and Simon Cooper was brought in to head the RPDC.

However, the political interference continued. On the 27^th February 2007 Premier Lennon wrote to Mr Wright asking him to fast-track the assessment of the pulp mill. Mr Wright said he had felt pressured by Mr Lennon to cut short public comment on the pulp mill.

“The proposition was that I was to continue on in my role as Chairman, but with these shackles placed upon me….I thought that, in view of the problems that had led up to his (Julian Green’s) resignation, I could safely rely on the proposition that my tenure wouldn't be interrupted by irrelevancies and pressures and so on, but I was sadly mistaken about that.” [2]

Meanwhile, the new head of the RPDC Simon Cooper wrote to the Premier advising that the pulp mill was “critically non-compliant” in meeting RPDC approval requirements.

It seems that Mr Cooper later faced retribution from the Labor government for his role in trying to conduct an independent assessment of the pulp mill. Despite being recommended for the role of magistrate by Deputy Premier Steve Kons, this recommendation document was shredded and Mr Cooper did not receive the appointment. The shredded document was recovered, reconstructed and tabled in parliament. April 2008, Deputy Premier Kons ultimately resigned from his position after he was caught lying to Parliament about the existence of the shredded document and the circumstances of the appointment.

On 14^th March 2007 Gunns abandoned the independent assessment of the RPDC, claiming excessive delays and a lack of certainty around assessment timelines as their reason. Despite Gunns themselves being shown to be the cause of most delays, Premier Lennon rammed legislation through parliament to fast-track the assessment of the pulp mill. Federally, the Howard Government also accepted the sacking of the RPDC process and establishing a separate, truncated and inadequate assessment.

Due process was trashed so that Gunns’ pulp mill could be approved. The assessment process that was carried out:

• Sidelined the independent umpire, the RPDC
• Did not assess impact on logging on native forests, wildlife, water catchments or climate change
• Abandoned public hearings involving independent experts
• Used the wrong guidelines for the assessment
• Used legislation that Gunns’ lawyers helped to draw up

 
The resignation of Deputy Premier Steve Kons in what became known as the “shreddergate” affair has instigated statewide calls for the establishment of an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) in Tasmania. Similar to those in other states in Australia, this body should have the powers to investigate corrupt and untoward behaviour that repeatedly surfaces as a normal part of political life in Tasmania. The first action of an ICAC in Tasmania should be an inquiry into the assessment and approval of Gunns’ pulp mill.

Tasmania’s new Premier David Bartlett has flagged a change of direction away from the abandonment of due process and woeful environmental legacy left by Paul Lennon. David Bartlett as Premier presents a unique opportunity for the Labor government to move away from its long held obsession with propping up the logging industry and one-eyed support for environmentally destructive projects such as the pulp mill.

To find out what you can do to help stop the pulp mill go to …..

How you can help stop the pulp mill!

[1] http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,21157345-921,00.html

[2] http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s1878221.htm