The Gunns statement to the Australian stock exchange today confirms that the Tamar Valley pulp mill is dead in the water and is not now or has ever been economically viable, the Australian Greens said today

Tasmania now faces Gunns conducting a clearing out sale as Mr L' Estrange oversees the writing down of assets in an attempt to salvage the company.

The major Greens policies are supportive of Tasmania. For example, the Greens support will get the mining tax through -- and we'll be trying to make it much stronger -- which will redistribute some money from overseas shareholders to Australians including Tasmanians.

A more measured pace in extraction of our mineral resources would mean a lower exchange rate which would help Tasmanian tourism and lower interest rates that would benefit other Tasmanian industries.

The announcement by Gunns of a $355.5 million loss, and the Prime Minister's welcome comment that the pulp mill's future is now a ‘commercial question', should mark the end of the line for the Gunns pulp mill and the opening of a new, cleaner, jobs-rich future for Tasmania.

"If we can now draw a line under heavily subsidised logging of native forests and uncommercial pulp mill proposals, Tasmania can finally face the future with confidence," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.

An anti-pulp mill postcard commissioned by Senator Christine Milne and distributed throughout the wider Tamar region has seen more than 800 Tasmanians calling on Premier Lara Giddings to abandon the environmentally destructive mill.

"This postcard says it in black and white; the Gunns pulp mill, from its corrupt approvals process to its impact on local residents and businesses, still stinks.

"Northern Tasmania has yet again told the Premier that they do not want the mill because it will seriously impact the Tamar economy and environment.

Federal Environment Minister, Tony Burke must abide by federal law and explain the reasons behind his decision to approve the Tamer Valley pulp mill, Greens acting Leader, Christine Milne said today.

"The Administrative Decisions (judicial review) Act clearly states the Minister must give reason for his decision no more than 28 days after a request for them is made.

A pro pulp mill open letter printed in today's Mercury is wrong, and what it promotes is the antithesis of the high quality of life that Tasmania cannot be offered, says Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne.

"This letter, backed by businesses with a vested interest or vision embedded in a resource-based past fails to garner support from those businesses with a vested interest and vision in a clean green and clever sustainable 21st century economy.

Deputy Greens Leader Christine Milne has welcomed the recommendation today in Bill Kelty's interim report on the forestry principles process that governments should formally protect high conservation value forests, but has criticised the report's focus on the Tamar Valley pulp mill.

"The Kelty process should be about implementing the agreed forestry principles - the Tamar Valley pulp mill is not part of that process," Senator Milne said.

It is time to get the facts straight with regard to the forest principles process and the Gunns pulp mill debate. Senator Abetz may be nostalgic for this glory days as Federal Minister promoting clear fell logging of high conservation value native forests and plantation establishment on our farms but he is completely out of touch.
The logging industry approached the conservation movement to seek assistance to exit native forests in Tasmania because native forest logging is unprofitable.

An independent report released today by Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Christine Milne, strongly questions the financial viability of Gunns' proposed Tamar Valley pulp mill.

"Gunns have made some wildly optimistic claims about their project and so I commissioned this report by independent finance analyst, Naomi Edwards to analyse the financial viability of the mill.

"The report finds Gunns' projections are over optimistic and that inherent risks to the project have not been modelled."

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