[Greens-Media] Tas Greens_Premier Fails Miners_T Morris MP

[greens at parliament.tas.gov.au]

MINE SAFETY STILL COMPROMISED

Premier Has Money but No Vacancy
 
Tim Morris MP
Greens Shadow Mining Spokesperson

Thursday, 21 August 2008
Contact: State Parliamentary Offices of the Tasmanian Greens, (03) 6233
8300

www.tas.greens.org.au


The Tasmanian Greens today said that the Bartlett government's failure
to employ an adequate number of mining inspectors can only put mine
safety at risk, and also described as disappointing the Premier's
refusal to answer whether he will release publicly the Melick report in
its entirety.

Greens Shadow Mining spokesperson Tim Morris MP asked the Premier during
Question Time whether the government would employ an additional two
mining inspectors as per the recommendation of Mr Melick, and whilst the
Premier said that he had allocated an additional $400,000 for an
increase in inspectors, a look at the Government website reveals that
there are no positions vacant for Mine Inspectors.

"Whilst the Minister for Workplace Standards, Premier Bartlett,
acknowledged the need for providing more Mines Inspectors, the
Government is apparently not actually advertising for them, and
therefore it is hardly surprising that there is still a shortage of
appropriately qualified staff to carry out the necessary inspections,"
Mr Morris said.

 "It is very concerning that the Premier appears to be playing with the
lives of Tasmania's miners by allocating additional money in this year's
budget to employ additional mining inspectors in line with the
recommendation of Mr Melick, but a search of the Government website
shows that it does not appear to be advertising the positions." 

"Mr Bartlett, as the responsible Minister, appears to have failed to
understand that if the government needs six mining inspectors to tenure
that the mines are safe then the job cannot be done properly with only
four inspectors." 

"The Premier was also asked if he would release the full report of Mr
Melick and he refused to even answer the question, which is tantamount
to a refusal to provide this critically important report to the industry
and the public, which is at odds with Mr Bartlett's professed commitment
to improving Government transparency," Mr Morris said.



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