Open Letter to Tasmania's Newspaper Editors and the Tasmanian Community.

Damon Thomas of the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry is a great advocate for the Gunns pulp mill and the big players in general in the forest industry.

He does not appear as interested in the welfare of those many commercial interests which will be adversely affected by the project.

I declare a conflict of interest: I grew up in the North East of Tasmania (Blue Tier country) and I was horrified to hear John Gay state that it was his intention to “convert the native forests of the North East to plantations” (for the benefit of his pulp mill project)

Plantations of rapidly growing eucalypt species are rapidly replacing the mixed wet forests as well as the rich agricultural soils in this region.

There is precious little employment associated with the establishment, maintenance or harvesting of plantations and there are many well documented problems for farmers, winegrowers, leatherwood honey producers, tourism operators and aquaculture businesses as well as many traditional smaller operators in the Timber industry.

Mr Thomas does not mention the clear and repeated (science based) warnings by Dr. David Leaman of the disastrous effects of plantations on water yield nor the warnings of health professionals and local citizens concerned about the aerial spraying of dangerous chemicals used in plantation forestry.

As has been expressed by pulp mill expert Robert Eastment, it is essential that the many concerns about the operations of the mill and the sourcing of pulpwood are fully and openly addressed so that the community can have confidence that this project, which has already used much taxpayer money in it’s promotion, will really benefit the Tasmanian population as a whole and not just a few favoured individuals.

A wonderful old lady, unfortunately now deceased, who lived all her life in the North East (at Pyengana), made a statement of qualified support for the pulp mill, ”as long as it won’t harm the birds or fish.” Wise words.

Dr. Frank Nicklason
West Hobart


NOTE: A similar letter to this one has been submitted to The Mercury, and has not yet been published, as well as Tasmanian Times where it was.

Tasmanian Times Link