Christine Milne (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister representing the Prime Minister, Senator Minchin. Given the collapse of the Commonwealth-accredited joint assessment process for the proposed Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania, brought about by Gunns’ withdrawal from the process; given the subsequent Tasmanian government-proposed fast-tracking of a new Gunns-approved assessment process; and given revelations today that Premier Lennon failed to disclose the extent to which he actively and secretly intervened to facilitate Gunns by promising them legislation to shorten the assessment process before their report to the Stock Exchange and then brought pressure to bear on the Hon. Chris Wright, chair of the RPDC pulp mill assessment panel, to agree to it, will the Commonwealth now consider establishing a royal commission into the Tasmanian pulp mill affair to establish whether there has been collusion over the assessment process between Gunns, Premier Lennon and the Tasmanian government?