Wilderness Society, Gunns argue over pulp mill delays
The Tasmanian Wilderness Society has blamed timber company Gunns for any delays to the pulp mill approval process.
Gunns has warned Tasmania could miss out on the mill if there are further delays with the assessment process.
Delays could eventuate from the recent resignation of two members of the Resource Planning and Development Commission (RPDC), the body responsible for assessing the mill.
But Wilderness Society campaigner Geoff Law says Gunns has caused setbacks by missing a recent deadline to submit information to the RPDC.
“Gunns has been failing to meet its own self imposed deadlines, that is what has been creating the so-called delays in the process,” he said.
“It’s for Gunns to get its own house in order when it comes to meeting deadlines.”
But Gunns chairman John Gay says the resignations have the biggest potential to cause delays.
He says the RPDC chairman Julian Green and panel member Warwick Raverty resigned because of political pressure.
“The pressure that the Greens have had on this process has been outrageous,” he said.
“They have been putting pressure through the media, through the RPDC and anyone like Julian Green or Raverty who was in that process, I don’t wonder why they resigned.”
The public hearings stage of the assessment process is scheduled for March and April.