[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Pulp Mill Court Action Challenge For Bartlett_K Booth MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

PULP MILL COURT ACTION PRESENTS CHALLENGE TO 'DEMOCRATIST' BARTLETT

Overturn Section 11 of the Pulp Mill Assessment Act

Kim Booth MP
Greens Shadow Pulp Mill spokesperson

Saturday, 16 August 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today congratulated Environment Tasmania for taking
legal action in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of Section 11
of the State's controversial Pulp Mill Assessment Act 2007, but said it
was an indictment on the Labor and Liberal parties, who both supported
the fast-tracking approvals process in the Parliament, that members of
the public had to resort to the courts in order to restore people's
rights to obtain information about the mill's permit conditions.

Greens Shadow Pulp Mill spokesperson Kim Booth MP said that concerns
raised during debate on the fast-track pulp mill approvals process last
year about the extraordinary and undemocratic provisions of Section 11
had been ignored deliberately by the Labor government, and challenged
Premier David Bartlett to heed the current court action and move to
overturn Section 11 of the Act.

"This Supreme Court action presents a challenge for Premier Bartlett,
who, as a self-professed 'democratist', must recognise that things are
in a very bad way indeed if the public have to take court action to
restore their democratic rights to critical information regarding the
pulp mill permit conditions," Mr Booth said.

"Mr Bartlett stated loudly early on in his Premiership that he had drawn
a line in the sand when it came to Gunns' receiving further government
help over the pulp mill proposal, so here is another opportunity for the
Premier to demonstrate that such a line in the sand has not been washed
away, by moving to overturn Section 11 and open up the Pulp Mill Permit
to public scrutiny."

"It is a strong indictment on both the Labor government, and the
obliging Liberal Party, who turned a deliberate deaf ear to concerns
raised during the debate about the unfair and anti-democratic provisions
of Section 11 of the Pulp Mill Assessment Act, that members of the
public are now having to go to the courts to challenge this section and
restore their democratic right to relevant information."

"Other business people and property owners who share the Tamar Valley,
will suffer sever impacts upon their farming operations and livelihoods
should the Gunns' pulp mill be constructed, yet they are being denied
critical information about how those impacts have been approved under
the permit process, which is a fundamental denial of natural justice,"
Mr Booth said.



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