The group ‘A Better Australia’ www.abetteraustralia.com has developed an overview of threats and opportunity costs of Gunns’ pulp mill proposal. It is also available as a high resolution down-loadable image below.
Lennon's priorities
The Lennon government gives a higher priority to industrial forestry and the proposed pulp mill than the health of Tasmanians.
Shortfalls in the Tasmanian health system:
- Launceston General hospital $20 million/year;
- Royal Hobart hospital - $800 million;
- Other hospitals – unknown;
- Ambulance services – 30 million/year;
- Mental health services - unknown;
- Disability services, needs of 200 not met - cost unknown;
- Housing - 2681 people on State housing waiting lists at May 3 2007 - unknown.
Subsidies to industrial forestry and pulp mill, and some opportunity costs:
- Losses to farming and processing income from the take over of farmland by plantations- some percentage of $2.5 billion/yr;
- Losses to tourism - some percentage of $1 billion/yr;
- Losses to fine foods, wineries - unknown;
- Risks to fishing industry - unknown;
- Costs of water - about 400 Gl/yr used by plantations - @ $100 Ml = $40 million/yr;
- Damage to roads/bridges - $20 million/yr;
- Costs of health damage and road deaths - unknown;
- Costs of subsidies - over $80 million/yr;
- Special infrastructures (e.g. road & rail) - $120 million +;
- Lost value of trees as carbon sink @ $15 per tonne - $60 million/yr;
- Costs to public of losses on timber and delivery costs - kept secret from public.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| Overview_of_pulp_mill_proposal_threats.pdf | 1.82 MB |
