Supply

A Better Australia and TAP conducted two workshops with approximately 120 members to plan strategies to stop the pulp mill.

Sorted outputs from TAP/ A Better Australia presentations on 21 Jan 2008

What concerns does audience have for the future?

Social issues

• Ignorance & apathy of public
• Disempowerment of the young
• Lack of education & political education for our young
• Fragmentation of community into dysfunctional nuclear families
• Dysfunctional entrenched political thinking
• Insanity
• Loss of jobs to overseas call centres
• Lack of engagement in political process
• Lack of engagement in local government process
• Inability to distinguish between needs and wants
• Poor understanding of power of vote (not enough Green votes??)

Unrealisable expectation

The Tasmanian Government has not investigated the financial risks of the mill to the State and documented the subsidies. The economic viability of the pulp mill has not been tested in public.

Below are five documents of the financial impact of Gunns' proposed pulp mill that attempt to redress this important gap in the assessment.

1.  Landowners to carry risks of Gunns' pipeline (added September 2008)

The Tamar valley pulp mill story is complex but cut to the chase here.

Read the Gunns Dossier: Pulp Mill Smoke and Mirrors

Pulp and paper expert Dr Warwick Raverty, reached the “sad conclusion that Gunns is not a fit and proper company to build a pulp mill anywhere” in Tasmania (14 March 2007). That conclusion is supported by the Gunns Dossier: Pulp Mill Smoke and Mirrors, a record of 186 statements from CEO John Gay and Gunns Ltd, and State and Federal governments relating to the planned pulp mill in the Tamar Valley.

Who is TAP?

A community-based independent group, Tasmanians Against the Pulp mill Inc (TAP), is standing up for a vibrant community and business, our health and environment.

Gunns’ proposed pulp mill in the Tamar Valley threatens Tasmanians way of life through pollution of air and water, the takeover of farms by plantations, expanded native forest logging, increased competition for water supplies, damaging economic impacts on existing businesses (tourism, wineries, food, fishing) and harm to community health.

Is there enough water for the Tamar valley pulp mill?

The proposed pulp mill will consume significant volumes of water from the Trevallyn Dam which is fed by streams in the South Esk basin.

A water audit of inputs and outputs from the South Esk basin over the summer period of 2006-07 unveils a story of declining supplies and increasing demands.

The audit highlights a covert competition for water security involving Meander valley irrigators; Midlands farmers; domestic consumers in Campbell Town, Ross and Tunbridge; domestic consumers supplied by Esk Water; environmental flows to sustain river health; consumption by expanding plantations in the headwaters; and direct use by the proposed pulp mill.

Review of Sweco Report by Professor Andrew Wadsley

This is a review of the report “Assessment of the Gunns Limited Bell Bay Pulp Mill
against the Environment Emission Limit Guidelines” by SWECO PIC Oy and
associated documentation. This review is limited, in the main, to factors affecting
pulp mill effluent and emissions. Download Professor Wadsley's full report from below.

The main findings are:

1. SWECO PIC make false and misleading statements, and omit significant issues

The risks of the Tamar valley pulp mill for investors, the community, tourism, fishing, farming, businesses, taxpayers and the government are described in Pulp finance.

The TAP Community Impacts Response submission to the Resource Planning and Development Commission (RPDC) takes a whole-of-systems perspective and comments on all impacts of the proposed mill and wood supply and not just those within the terms of reference as given to the RPDC by the Government.

No 280: TAP (CIR) submission 741Kb

1. Fact sheets and charts showing the essentials

TAP and SAS is producing a series of fact sheets and charts describing significant impacts of the proposed pulp mill and its wood supply on the economy, environment and population of Tasmania. These impacts are largely being ignored by the Government and the proponent.