30 July 2010 Greens: Tourism and pulp mill don’t mix. Greens Senate candidate, Peter Whish-Wilson, is asking why the federal government is happy to give $100,000 for wine tourism in the Tamar Valley when continuing to support an unpopular, risky and socially divisive pulp mill proposal that threatens to drive tourists elsewhere. The grant, announced by Federal Minister for Tourism, Martin Ferguson, in Launceston today is designed to boost the growing wine tourism industry in the state’s North East. “The TQUAL Grant stresses the importance of marketing the Tamar Valley’s “Visual identify”. “What sort of visual identity are we going to have in the Tamar Valley if the Gunns Ltd proposal to build one of the world’s biggest Pulp Mills, with its smokestacks, fugitive emissions and thousands of daily log truck movements becomes a reality?" Tasmanian Times
26 July 2010 Sodra, the long-touted possible joint venture partner for Gunns' Bell Bay pulp mill, is still keen on sealing a deal with the Tasmanian timber company, squashing rumours that it has backed away from the troubled company. Gunns needs an equity injection from a partner to build its controversial $2.2 billion mill, which has divided communities, enraged green groups and been a political minefield. Stock and Land
15 July 2010 Prime Minister Julia Gillard is expected to fly into northern Tasmania tomorrow ahead of an expected announcement on Saturday of a late August election. It is not yet certain whether Ms Gillard will use her rushed visit to the marginal electorates of Bass and Braddon to announce a breakthrough in the decades-old and divisive Tasmanian forest conflict. It is understood the industry is keen to get concessions from environmentalists to allow the $2.2 billion Gunns pulp mill in the Tamar Valley to proceed, but using only plantation timber. Mercury
14 July 2010 Gunns says it wants to heal a rift with the community. There has been a hostile reception for Gunns at a meeting called to discuss the company's compliance with forestry certification standards. The meeting was organised by the auditors of environmental group Rainforest Alliance to assess how Gunns meets international Forest Stewardship Certification. Gunns' representative Frances Duffy told the meeting the company wanted to win certification because international customers demanded it. Also, the company wanted to mend a rift with the community. Several members of the public told Ms Duffy they felt disenfranchised by the pulp mill approval process. The Greens' Kim Booth said the mill would not get community support unless a new approval process was adopted. Ms Duffy said that was not going to happen but Gunns would continue consultations. ABC
5 July 2010 An impromptu meeting between Premier Bartlett and members of TAP Into A Better Tasmania took place on July 5 at the Queen Victora Museum, Launceston. The Premier's key question was "Is there any, can I ask you a question, is there any circumstances under which a pulp mill, you know, if you think about it, if it was totally, um, chlorine free, if it was closed loop, if it was in another place, I’m just saying, I’m trying to ask you, is there a scenario and it was obviously all plantation fed and accredited by FSC, is there a circumstance under which you would say No, that’s a reasonable project? Would you object or not?". Read the full transcript of the exchange at Tasmanian Times.com
