[Greens-Media] MEDIA RELEASE - SENATOR CHRISTINE MILNE - RPDC independence in spotlight

[Willis, Katrina (Sen C. Milne)]

MEDIA RELEASE

Tuesday, 29 August 2006

RPDC independence in spotlight 

The intervention by a state government department in King Island
Council's ban on commercial timber plantations raises grave concerns
about the independence of the Resource Planning and Development
Commission (RPDC), Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne said today.

"Tasmanians are already aware that the pulp mill taskforce are the
unashamed spin doctors for the governments support for the Gunns pulp
mill and have been led to believe that the RPDC is independent," Senator
Milne said in Launceston.

"News that an RPDC decision that government has deemed to be wrong will
be reviewed does not augur well for any fair assessment of the pulp mill
proposal. 

"Already, the RPDC has a conflict of interest in that it wrote the
guidelines for the pulp mill and will now assess a project in line with
those guidelines.

"The intervention of the state government in the King Island Council
planning matter is further cause for worry since Tasmanians are already
asking themselves why the RPDC pulp mill guidelines allow three times
the level of particulate matter in air emissions as the national
standard and take account of the fact that the government has exempted
the pulp mill from meeting its own air quality standards.

"With the RPDC and the pulp mill taskforce both being arms of the Lennon
government this latest development with regard to the King Island
Council is deeply troubling.

"The state government must stop bullying local government via the RPDC.
Councils are right to be concerned about the expansion of commercial
timber plantations across Tasmania's water catchments and agricultural
land."

Contact: Katrina Willis 03 6234 4566 or 0437 587 562


Katrina Willis
Adviser
Senator Christine Milne
Phone 03 6234 4566
Fax 03 6234 2144
Mobile 0437 587 562
www.christinemilne.org.au