http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/03/07/212321_tasmania-n...

http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/03/07/212321_tasmania-news.html

Greens move to axe mill laws
DAMIEN BROWN
March 07, 2011 12.01am

THE Tasmanian Greens have confirmed they will try to repeal the controversial Pulp Mill Assessment Act, effectively killing the divisive Gunns development.

But the move would not affect the power-sharing alliance with Labor.

Greens leader Nick McKim said yesterday the Greens would move to have the Bill repealed, with parliament resuming tomorrow.

Mr McKim said the repeal Bill would allow the Opposition to make its position on the Gunns pulp mill more clear.

"Particularly whether they support any further public subsidisation, and to correct one of the worst decisions made by the House in recent times," he said.

Mr McKim said that if the Greens' repeal Bill was successful, it would restore Tasmanians' faith in their democratic system, due process and respect for parliament, which was eroded following the Labor and Liberal parties' collusion to ram through the Pulp Mill Assessment Act in the dead of night.

"If successful, this will be the death knell for the divisive and toxic Gunns Tamar Valley pulp mill," he said.

"The Gunns mill permits would be revoked and it would also send a strong message to any potential financiers that there is no social licence for this project.

"The PMAA was a dodgy process used to exempt this unacceptable project from standard planning and examination procedure when it was clear that it would fail to get through the then Resource Planning and Development Commission.

"We will give both Labor and the Liberals the opportunity to correct this shameful and undemocratic mistake of their making."

It follows threats by Greens MP Kim Booth to break the Labor-Green power-sharing arrangement if the Government tries to use public money to fund the pulp mill.

Mr McKim said Premier Lara Giddings had been clear that there were no plans to offer further financial support for the pulp mill.

Liberal leader Will Hodgman accused Labor and the Greens of selling out Tasmania's native forest industry in return for the pulp mill.

"This deal between big business, big environment and big unions to shut down our native forest industry in return for the pulp mill is bad for Tasmania and the Liberals strongly oppose it," Mr Hodgman said.

"The Tasmanian Liberals believe that we can have a pulp mill as well as a sustainable native forestry industry and that we don't need to trade off one and thousands of jobs in the process for the other."