[Greens-Media] MARK PARNELL MLC: Rory McEwen - clear conflict of interest over donations, Penola Pulp Mill Bill

[Greens]

Media Release
5th July 2007
                         

Rory McEwen - clear conflict of interest over donations, Penola Pulp
Mill Bill  

Greens MLC Mark Parnell has disputed the claim by Forestry Minister Rory
McEwen made this morning that he has stepped out of Cabinet whenever a
potential conflict of interest over financial donors has arisen.

"Minister McEwen has taken to Cabinet a Bill that directly assists
companies that have given him donations.  

"The Penola Pulp Mill Bill that Minister McEwen has been actively
championing in the public and in parliament explicitly guarantees the
expansion of pine (softwoods) forestry without the need for water
offsets," he said.

The Forest Threshold Expansion Policy (Schedule 2, Part 1 of the Bill)
guarantees a forest expansion area of no less than 59,416 hectares.  Yet
28,000 of those hectares are for softwood forestry (mostly radiata
pine), even though the Penola Pulp Mill won't process softwoods. 

"People have been scratching their head from day one asking themselves:
why have these 28,000 hectares of softwoods been included in a bill for
a hardwood Mill?  It simply doesn't make sense.

"So the revelation in today's Advertiser that donors to Minister McEwen
include companies in the softwood timber sector is deeply concerning,"
he said.

The Advertiser reports that donors to Rory McEwen, who is not just the
relevant Minister, but also the Chair of the Parliamentary Select
Committee into the Penola Pulp Mill Authorisation Bill 2007 include
Auspine (the major softwoods company in the South East), Biogro
(processor of timber mill waste) and the Whitehead Group of Companies
(timber transporters). 

"That the State Minister for Forests is receiving political donations
from timber companies, and then not publicly declaring them, must set
alarm bells ringing.  That he then champions a Bill that potentially
assists those same donors, also without publicly declaring it, is even
more concerning.  

"The system must not just be squeaky clean, it must be seen to be
squeaky clean.  

"The Minister has some serious questions to answer," he said. 

 
 

For further comment contact Craig Wilkins on 0434 007 893

	
 
 


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