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New Premier Lennon’s Old Agenda

Max Bound

The change of Premier in Tasmania was taken as an opportunity to proclaim that Gunns’ mill was back on the agenda. Rather than claim that she would clean up the mess she had inherited our new Premier has stated that she is in favour of a pulp mill, and that she would not rule out the State Government as guarantor for the mill. The machinations were complicated but the Gunns plan to commit even more Tasmanian soil to growing chemically dependent trees for pulp is now officially back on the Government’s agenda. Even worse the possibility of a government guarantee for the mill that could end up costing tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars is obviously being considered.

The ‘common ground’ for a pulp mill between leaders of main stream environmental organisations, with Gunns, has been lifted in status from secret talks to consideration as declared State Government policy. The environmental figures involved in the ‘common ground’ fiasco appear to have forgotten that they are supposed to act in the interests of a sustainable environment. Even worse again, the ‘common ground‘ process has restored disgraced former Premier Lennon as an official and very active player in the pulp mill gamble.

A major purpose of this article is to highlight the real dangers this situation poses for Tasmania’s future. The environmental problems that would come from success for Gunn’s bid to tie Tasmania’s economy to the continuation and extension of the spread of chemically dependent monoculture plantations of trees for pulp looms as a horror prospect.

There are two very major issues involved. One is the health problems that stem from even more poisons, from chemically dependent monoculture plantations of trees for pulp in our water. The other is the future of soil productivity in parts of our State taken up by these chemically dependent monoculture plantations for pulp. The destruction of soil fertility arising from clear felling, hot fires and other kinds of “war on nature” practised by Forestry Tasmania is a deadly serious problem.

I have borrowed the phrase ”war on nature” from Tim Flannery’s most recent book, Here On Earth. This very useful book, despite its lack of reality in relation to some vital economic matters,(1) contains valuable information pertaining to both of these vital issues. It could be argued that, as distinct from the professional apologists for Labor and Liberal Party policies, honest readers who share Flannery’s social conservative bent might well be jarred into reality by the scientifically based arguments that comprise much of his writings.

I refer here, particularly, to his well argued points for example that “pesticide companies” in their scramble for short term profit have “set us on a cataclysmic course”. And his chapter ”Restoring the Life–Force“ where he explains the sense of Australian Aboriginal use of light burn fires to preserve the carbon in the soil. This tried and tested approach to the use of fire contrasts sharply to the hot fires used for example by Forestry Tasmania. Forest practice in Tasmania with its clear felling and excessively hot fires ensures that carbon in the soil is destroyed and then anything positive left is killed off by chemicals.

Paul Lennon with Liberal party support enabled the disgraceful laws that place Gunns above and beyond the control of the rule of law. Premier Giddings appears as pledging continuation of this disastrous course. An immediate task for people concerned for Tasmania’s future is to build a public opinion that enables action to enforce the rescinding of these laws and re-establishes due process in development planning.

What I believe needs to be done is to develop a major campaign for the rescinding of these laws. Pressure needs to be put on all parliamentarians, including the Greens, to take up this issue. Then there is a need to address the incompetence of the current top public servants in Forestry and promote competent people who are interested in sustainable forestry, rather than in replacing existing forests and high quality agricultural land with chemically dependent, water poisoning and soil fertility destroying monoculture plantations for pulp. The public subsidies to keep the pulp for paper industry afloat, that have been calculated as being in the order in excess of $63millions a year over the last 12years,(x) should stop NOW.

The real cost to human health and life and to the public budget that is involved as result of poisons in our water needs to become an issue in the public debate.

(x) For more detail on these and closely associated questions see www.nwtptas.org.au John Biggs’ article The state of democracy in Tasmania and Max Bound’s article Although difficult, positive change is possible see www.nwtptas.org.au/

(1) Flannery, Tim, Here on Earth (Text, 2010: p. 233) For more information on this aspect see my article Although difficult, positive change is possible. In his chapter “Of war and Inequality“ Flannery uses figures on what has happened in China and assertions that things are about to get better in India.. Unfortunately he ignores the environmental horror story that is happening in China, and understates the still existing poverty of many in China. The reality of plunder of underdeveloped countries by the USA and other developed countries also tends to be overlooked by Flannery. The likely immediate future situation in India unfortunately might not be as bright as he suggests. This is despite the fact that there are parts of India in which people power movements have imposed some improvements.

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