It would seem that new Premier David Bartlett misled the national media yesterday by deliberately giving Australians the impression that he would not be giving further taxpayer dollars to the already economically marginal pulp mill.
Today with the national media spotlight relaxing to some degree Premier Bartlett is now giving Tasmanians the opposite impression.
That is that he will consider subsidising private pulp mill infrastructure with Tasmanian taxpayer dollars - a move that was never part of the deal under any of the RPDC, State and federal government assessments.
Mr Bartlett yesterday expressed concern about 'the degradation in trust in our democracy and his desire to reconnect with the Tasmanian people and how vital it is to build their trust'. Yet he apparently sees little conflict between these lofty ideals and once again changing the goalposts to suit Gunns by going down a path that the Tasmanian community have expressed explicitly that they do not approve of.
Premier Bartlett must be judged by his actions not his words. If he is NOT going to make Gunns pay for their pulp mill as per the already tainted agreement between his government and the people of Tasmania - and is instead prepared to shift that economic risk onto the non-consenting Tasmanian taxpayer, then he has already breached the trust of the community in the same way that his predecessor did chronically.
Rick
