Dear Mr. Abetz,
My wife and I are registered voters in the Federal and State seats of Denison. Next year we will be retiring to the Launceston area so will be in the State/Federal seats of Bass.
As a Federal Senator I implore you to use your powers to stop the Tamar Valley pulp mill project-indeed any pulp mill project in Tasmania on environmental grounds.
I am not a rampant Greenie, in fact have been a Liberal voter my entire life- up until now. I was once even a party member! Unfortunately, as both Labour and Liberal parties state and Federally seem to be on the Gunn’s/Lennon bandwagon I will be voting in council, state and Federal elections for alternative candidates who oppose this project regardless of whether I agree with their other policies or not. That is the depth of feeling I have on this subject.
I have sifted through the reams of information and propaganda put out over the past couple of years on the subject and can only conclude that there is enough evidence and doubt in favour of not proceeding with this project. Far more, in fact, than any evidence in favour of it. Jobs at any price went out the door decades ago and in any case there are far more jobs to be had by not building a pulp mill. Ask the Alaskans. All their pulp mills in the Alaskan panhandle shut down years ago because even with massive government subsidies they were still uneconomical and a blight on the landscape. Today the tourist industry in the Alaskan panhandle employs many times the number of people that were employed directly and indirectly by the pulp mills when they were operating. Needless to say the area’s economy has benefited considerably by the mill closures.
Perhaps a forward thinking State government in Tasmania would look toward seeking Federal aid to retrain timber industry workers so that they could acquire more appropriate employment for members of a developed nation. Failing that maybe they could do a deal with our Asian neighbours to have them become “guest workers” and assist in the destruction of what remains of the Amazon and PNG old growth forests.
It would be refreshing to see a political party or politician in this state, and for that matter the nation as a whole, who could think past the next election and their own personal egos.
Please think about the future Mr. Abetz, History will judge you by the decisions you make today. No one tomorrow will say a good word about those responsible for policies that help destroy our environment and indeed our very ability to exist – all for the sake of a quick buck.
Yours faithfully,
R. G. Russell-Stone
