Pulp mill on wrong side of Bartlett's "line in the sand"

The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc
Media Release  
29 August 2008

The Wilderness Society said today that Gunns’ latest delay in financing its proposed pulp mill had put the project on the wrong side of Tasmanian Premier Bartlett’s ‘line in the sand’ and that it is now time to end the pulp-mill farce altogether.

“The Wilderness Society welcomes Premier Bartlett’s commitment to maintain his stance that Government support for the pulp mill will end on November 30 if construction has not commenced,” said the Society’s forest campaigner, Vica Bayley.

“Gunns won’t meet the deadline so Mr Bartlett should end government support for the pulp mill immediately.”

Gunns’ annual report to the ASX yesterday said that principal construction activities are unlikely to commence before March 2009. In July, the Premier drew a ‘line in the sand’ for Gunns, saying that government permits and involvement in the project would end unless ‘real finance’ and ‘real progress’ on construction were secured by November 30 2008.

“Gunns has received endless special deals from governments,” said Mr Bayley. “The whole assessment process was compromised because Gunns demanded approval for the mill by July 2007. Fourteen months later and Gunns has failed to meet its own deadlines for finance and approval.”

“It’s time for the special deals to end. Mr Garret should rule out an extension to the 4 October dead-line for approval of Gunns’ management plans. He should end the pulp-mill farce now.”

The Australian, 1 July 2008
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23949724-30417,00.html
While agreeing to the request (for an extension to 30 November for the deadline for construction commencement), Mr Bartlett said cabinet would remove a clause in the deal that effectively kept the deal alive for an additional six months after the construction deadline.
"The Government has drawn the line in the sand," Mr Bartlett said.
"The pulp mill project has divided the Tasmanian community significantly and we believe that the divisions should not last for too much longer."
From November 30, government permits and involvement in the project would end unless Gunns had achieved "real" finance and "real progress" on construction.
"The Tasmanian people have a right to say 'enough is enough'," he said.