A diverse collection of groups, individuals and businesses from around Tasmania and Australia have come together in the Tamar Valley this weekend and agreed to the formation of a cohesive working alliance to stop the Gunns pulp mill.
The two day strategy meeting involved representatives from Tasmanians Against the Pulp Mill, The Wilderness Society, GetUp, The Tasmanian Greens, Environment Tasmania, Lawyers for Forests, Future Tasmania, Timber Workers for Forests, Students Against the Pulp Mill, Tasmanian Conservation Trust, local residents, community leaders and health professionals.
Participants agreed to the formation of an alliance to galvanise, coordinate and strengthen the community movement opposing the mill, and are inviting others concerned about the issue to join the alliance.
Tamar Valley resident and a spokesperson for Tasmanians Against the Pulp Mill Rick Pilkington said, 'We have had to put our lives on hold to protect the future of our home. The community deserves a well-thought, unified campaign to counter the rich and the powerfully bound pro-mill forces wanting to recklessly exploit our State for their own personal benefit.'
'Politics in Tasmania has sunk to a new low this week, and it seems the mill was again at the heart of the scandal. We've had enough. It is increasingly falling to the community to defend our shared values and future,' said Tamar Valley resident Judith King.
'This is a national issue, one of concern to all Australians,' said GetUp spokesperson Ed Coper.
'This new alliance will make sure all the voices of well-founded concern around the nation will be effectively heard and represented.'
'We will stop this mill,' said Environment Tasmania spokesperson Phill Pullinger, 'The campaign is far from over. Key alliance members will intensify public awareness and advocacy efforts, and there will also be a co-ordinated community response to highlight the role of Gunns' banker - the ANZ bank.'
With the Federal Government yet to fully approve Gunns' mill, the alliance will be doing everything in its combined power to convince the Federal Government and the financial sector that the mill is not worth the risk, and will have many negative impacts on the community and the nation.
The alliance expressed confidence that the pulp mill will be stopped and that the benefits of cooperative campaigning will be used to ensure Tasmania's unique values are protected into the future.
'The pulp mill debacle has been a sorry blight on Tasmania's political and democratic record and the community needs to work together to ensure that this situation never happens again,' concluded The Wilderness Society spokesperson Vica Bayley.
For more information or comment please contact Ed Coper on 0408 662 575 or Rick Pilkington on 0437 365 265.
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3 comments:
I took a quick look through your blog and didn't see what your reasons are for opposing the mill. Perhaps you could spell them out for the rest of us.
I suspect that this mill will be energy self-sufficient using biomass, i.e. CO2 neutral, fuel to generate power, which would effectively neutralize a global warming arguement that you might make.
TT
First off, global warming isnt the only problem we face. And second off both sides are saying different things. Gunns says its actions will not be harmful to the community. However two little facts. One countless different organisations have stated that what gunns is doing will cause enviromental damage, whom I happen to believe since a company like gunns will say anything to get the pulp mill. The second reason is what about other industry. No where on the gunns page does it sAy that they will not affect other industries, such as tourism, fishing, and other possible competitors in that region. gunns says they are going to provide more money for Tasmania, with this business. I have to ask are we generating more money, or simply redistributing it.
Firstly, i agree with the above comment. i believe that the pulp mill is out of the question, the Australian or tasmanian economy is just fine even without the pulp mill.
i think that the government has not done the right thing by ignoring the facts and evaluation done by independant groups, although i am happy that the banks have denied to give the pulp mill funding to go ahead.
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