A+ R A- Mr L�Estrange and Gunns �feel misled� Friday, 19 August...

A+ R A- Mr L�Estrange and Gunns �feel misled� Friday, 19 August 2011 14:41
Eric Abetz
HOBART 19 August 2011. �Gunns� media release issued yesterday raises questions which need full and frank answers,� Senator Abetz said today.

�If Mr L�Estrange and Gunns �feel misled� they need to tell the Tasmanian people by whom, when and how they were misled.�

�Further, Mr L�Estrange and Gunns need to tell the Tasmanian people: who asked them, when they were asked and why they agreed �to take part in a process to end the 30 year conflict over Tasmania�s native forestry.��

�All indications are that it was Gunns that actually initiated the process,� Senator Abetz said.

�Previously Tasmanians were led to understand by Gunns that the process was community driven and Gunns weren�t involved, although many of us thought they were there by proxy.�

�Now Gunns say they were part of the process, which is it?

�Gunns further claim that they acted �in the best interests of Tasmania� seems to be contradicted by their actions.�

�What is more, Gunns has now sold off those �native forests businesses�, including the Triabunna woodchip mill. If that wasn�t a sale, what was it? And what about all the properties Gunns sold?�

�The fact is that Gunns trashed the reputation and viability of the native forest sector by their public announcement that they were vacating the sustainable and jobs-rich native forest sector in their vain bid to get Green support for the pulp mill,� Senator Abetz said.

�Six months ago I outlined Gunns� tactics and predicted the devastating consequences.�

�For Gunns to now cry poor and claim they acted out of concern for �the best interests of Tasmania� and not themselves is as ridiculous as their claim for money now,� Senator Abetz said.

�Gunns� attempt at a �smooth transition out of native forestry� was all about them.�

�State Labor�s involvement in this is a sell out of our workers and our economy.�

�Ms Giddings� legal advice as to why any payment should be made to Gunns needs to be made public,� Senator Abetz said.

�We need to know when it was obtained. Was it before or after the Intergovernmental Agreement?�

�Will the State Government use the money they might pay to Gunns to directly pay off Gunns� debts to contractors, sawmilllers and Forestry Tasmania, and others � some of whom have literally been waiting for months?�

�The simple fact is that Gunns made an unprincipled and cynical decision to exit native forestry in the na�ve hope they would get Green support for the pulp mill,� Senator Abetz said.

�To claim they had a choice to sell their native forest business or were seeking to assist the restructure, is a rewrite of history of which Labor�s spin doctors would be proud.�

�State Labor cannot fund its schools, hospitals and police, but can fund the destruction of a jobs-rich environmentally sustainable sector of our economy.�

�This is another clear example of Labor selling out previous Labor heartland issues at the behest of the Greens,� Senator Abetz said.

�The Greens also need to answer why they no longer oppose taxpayer money going to Gunns.�

�I trust this has nothing to do with a Greens� donor being able to pick up the Triabunna woodchip mill on the cheap,� Senator Abetz said.