Garrett throws another lifeline to Gunns Pulp Mill

Environment Minister Peter Garrett has given Gunns another unnecessary lifeline for their Pulp Mill after the company's failure to meet legislative deadlines in the assessment process, Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne said today.

Senator Milne said "Today's deadline extension for the Pulp Mill is completely unjustified, as is the Minister's ongoing refusal to release the Herzfeld report which details the extent of the pollution the Pulp Mill will cause.

"Minister Garrett had absolute discretion on this issue. He had no legal obligation to extend the deadline, and no justification for doing so.

"It was a condition of Malcolm Turnbull's approval that Gunns would have 12 months to finalise their approvals process. Gunns knew that, and they failed to meet that deadline.

"The fact that Minister Garrett suggested to Gunns that they might apply for an extension demonstrates that the Rudd Government is still captive to Gunns, to the native forest logging industry, and to big business.

"It is impossible to escape the conclusion that the Federal Government is bending over backwards to facilitate Gunns and to keep from the public information that demonstrates just how environmentally destructive this project is.

"After Minister Garrett's decision last Friday to knock back the proposed coal development at Shoalwater Bay, it had appeared that he might be willing to use his powers to protect the environment. But it appears that Shoalwater was the exception and not the rule.

"Gunns has held successive State and Federal governments to ransom and made fools of them.

"When they said they would pull out if all approvals were not through by July 31 2007, everyone fell over themselves to compromise assessment processes accordingly. Here we are in September 2008 and the company still hasn't got the money to build the mill. The Tasmanian and Federal Governments compromised democratic and environmental processes for nothing.

"It is time to end this sorry saga once and for all and let Tasmania move ahead into our clean, green and clever future."

Contact: Tim Hollo on  0437 587 562