Pulp the other one!

Greens Senator Christine Milne, on the other hand, properly foresaw the current outcome during an interview in March this year:

Malcolm Turnbull has to conduct an assessment and that has to include the impacts on listed threatened species … on the forests, as well as [on] the marine environment. That is likely to take much longer than the three months that is Gunns’ ultimatum. The cronyism and secrecy that has gone on in Tasmania and the complete abrogation of proper process means that it’s now fairly and squarely a Federal election issue.

And even now, another vitally critical flaw in Gunns’ proposal has been largely overlooked.

Professionals and observers experienced in the practicalities of pulp manufacture most regularly confirm two facts - all kraft pulp mills stink, and all kraft pulp mills are very complex systems which need to be run by highly skilled, experienced specialists.

Tasmania’s Greenest Pulp Mill - nothing supports the claim that it will be the World’s Greenest, other than the paintjob in the artist’s rendition - currently lacks permanent, dedicated management positions to ensure that lax “where practicable” outcomes in the state permits are achieved.

But even with the foreman already named and PR assurance from John Howard that the current six-week delay by Malcolm Turnbull is just that - a delay - Gunns don’t yet have a team of dedicated environmental professionals that will keep all emissions and impacts in check. Presumably this is because Lennon’s permit - proof that greenies, journos, and the 65 per cent of Tasmanians are hysterical and confused - permits it. As Gunns famously helped write the 1,100 pages of permits and the people’s parliamentary representatives were prohibited from amending them, these facts suggest that Gunns themselves see no need to mandate such critical appointments.

As for confused journos, Ashbarry furphies that RFAs (Regional Forest Agreements) exist and that this not only proves that Tassie forests are being sustainably managed, but the Federal Court has confirmed this. What he actually means is that in the Wielangta Case last year, the Federal Court found that forestry practices in one area being tested in Tasmania were in breach of Australia’s principal environmental law and had invalidated the protection afforded to Forestry Tasmania under the RFA. Coincidentally, as a Party joining Forestry Tasmania in this case, the Commonwealth Government rewrote crucial elements of all the laws involved and as such may yet have reason for optimism about their appeal.

Tasmanian forestry - the hypocritical publicly subsidised woodchip industry which claims to be about “timber” and “community” and screams bloody murder at the thought of its activities being politicised - may not change everything … but it sure hits the spot for the current generation of Australian legislators, and it is certainly governing Tasmania.

In case you mythed it.