Tasmanian politics has been dirty and muddy for a long time but right now it is particularly so. The proposed Gunns pulp mill in the Tamar Valley has been an issue in Tasmania for over a year now and since the preferred RPDC process was abandoned in March, the ‘facts’ surrounding the proposed project just get more and more confusing. With this we now see some interesting parallels between this project and the previous, ultimately doomed, pulp mill that was planned at Wesley Vale in 1989 (read more here…).
Once again this has also become a national issue, and with a Federal election just around the corner, probably an election issue too. I’m not surprised – after all, how we use our valuable natural resources and the impact of our actions on the environment is and should remain an issue for all Australians. What has surprised me is the reaction from the Federal government, in particular environment minister Malcolm Turnbull who has shown that he will not be dictated to by the Lennon government. In contrast many would say that Peter Garrett, the Labor Party’s environmental hero, has sold out the Tasmanian public and without having even read all the reports and assessments, has determined that this pulp mill is the right thing for Tasmania. Where will all this end? I don’t know, but all I hope is that Tasmania and our natural environment does not become a pawn in some bigger game.
“It is better to be defeated on principle than to win on lies” – Arthur Calwell