Saturday I reached Jervis bay, and on Sunday the Southerly change hit. Taking two rest days, I’ve had the chance to get up to date on happenings in Tasmania. It appears that the winds of change are blowing there too. Late last week two members of the Resource Planning and Development Commission resigned, Dr Warwick Raverty and the Chair of the RPDC, Mr Julian Green. The RPDC is the body responsible for objectively assessing Gunns Mil proposal. Initially, word from the government was that Mr Green had chosen to take an early retirement, and the Premier Paul Lennon praised Mr Green highly for the service that he had offered the Tasmanian Government in his long career. On Friday, Mr Green’s resignation letter was leaked to The Examiner .
...the reported contents of Mr Green's resignation letter were explosive.
"The Government is not only accused of compromising the integrity of the pulp mill assessment task force but also of failing to listen to Mr Green when he raised similar concerns before," Mr Gutwein said.
"These accusations have been levelled by a senior public official whom the Premier has expressed his utmost respect for."
Full story at http://www.examiner.com.au/story.asp?id=378901.
If there was doubt before that the government is prepared to override due process in the interests of the pulp mill, this doubt has now been removed. And this isn’t just a Tasmanian issue. The Federal Government has funded Gunns even more directly. They gave them a $2.4million grant to help Gunns put its proposal together, and have pledged a further $2.6 million at the early stage, with another $60 million promised for a highway upgrade to “pave the way” for the mill.
As I near Bateman’s Bay and Eden, towns closest to Canberra, I will focusing on the Federal Issues. Stay tuned for details.
I also invited Gary Nairn to come for "a paddle with Sim" Mr Nairn is the MP for Eden-Monaro, and locals here say he is a very open-minded and fair bloke, and I’m looking forward to meeting him. His office says he is back from leave early next week, which is when I will be entering his electorate.
So much for my "rest day." I’m looking forward to the paddle tomorrow – Jervis bay to Ulladulla into a sizeable swell. Might try get a surf in as well if its as big as they say its going to be.