Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The Minister for Defence has provided the following answer to the honourable senator’s question:

(1) Neither Defence nor its agencies have an option or arrangement to purchase all or part of the Eden wood chip mill owned by South East Fibre Exports Pty Ltd.

(2) In 2005, Defence paid compensation, in accordance with the Lands Acquisition Act 1989, to South East Fibre Exports Pty Ltd for restrictions Defence placed on the use of their land. The amount of compensation paid by Defence to South East Fibre Exports Pty Ltd is commercial in confidence.

(3) There is no formal contractual relationship between Defence and South East Fibre Exports Pty Ltd for security. Surveillance cameras are owned, installed and monitored by South East Fibre Exports Pty Ltd to primarily monitor the woodchip mill's wharf. The cameras have a 'pan function' and can also monitor the Explosive Ordnance wharf. There is a camera isolation switch within the Explosive Ordnance wharf office and the cameras covering the wharf are turned off whenever the wharf is in use by Defence. When the Explosive Ordnance wharf is not in use by Defence, it is open to the public and is managed and monitored by the Eden Port authority. South East Fibre Exports Pty Ltd is able to use the cameras to view any public fishing (or other public activities) from the wharf.

(4) There are two paper suppliers on Defence's Standing Offer Panel for provision of Office Supplies; Corporate Express and OfficeMax.

Corporate Express provides 80% of general office copy paper to Defence, and has so for the last six years. Corporate Express purchase paper from Australian Paper (Australian Paper brands include: Reflex, Australian Copy 10% Recycled, Optix). Whilst the paper purchased is not manufactured by Nippon Paper Industries directly, it is noted that in June 2009 Nippon Paper Group acquired Australian Paper. Corporate Express advise that the Australian Paper predominately purchased by Defence is manufactured at the Maryvale Mill in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria.

OfficeMax provides the other 20% of general office copy paper to Defence. OfficeMax’s paper is predominately the OfficeMax brand which is manufactured in Germany.