Sally (5 yrears old): Grandpa, why are Tasmanian rivers poisoned and all the tress cut down?

Grandpa (55 years old): That's because some people wanted to keep their jobs in the timber industry. They were the ones who made money cutting down trees.

Sally: But there are no more trees Grandpa. I can't see any !

Grandpa: Yes, I know.

Sally: What happened to the bad men who cut down the trees?

Grandpa: They got rich and left after the rivers got poisoned.

Sally: Didn't the goverment [sic] (she's only five!) stop them?

Grandpa: No, they helped them.

Sally: But Grandpa, won't there be any more trees now?

Grandpa: No Sally, not unless we plant some more.

Sally: Didn't they think about us? That we would like to have trees to climb?

Grandpa: No

Sally: What do they tell their grandchildren grampa?

Grandpa: I don't think they talk to them about it Sal.

When the time arrives for an industry to be abandoned the hardest thing to do is to sack the workers and invest the business funds into other ventures. This time is well passed for the timber industry but poor old Tasmania's economy is so in need of stimulation that the pollution from this new mill is going to be put up with and the industry given another opportunity to destroy the environment.

If it goes ahead that is. Turnbull doesn't want to put his head in the noose by not allowing the mill, not just before an election. But the fight against the Franklin Dam was a long way and the fight against Gunn's new mill will be also. The fight isn't over yet.

Malcolm Turnbull has the knack of take overs. He will work this out?

The conspiracy theorist would declare that Turnbull was given the poisoned chalice with the environment portfolio, completely unaware that it would end up being a key election issue in his own seat.

The business of politics is not the politics of business.

Roll on election day.

Gunn will be looking for money soon, who do you think will have connections to Maq's bank?

NO pulp mill for Tasmania
its a ludicrous idea
fight on
if need be there could be a world wide campaign
similar to the 'anti "damming the Franklin" campaign
this would be another jolt to big business's and governments all over the world, that they cant just keep destroying what little fresh country we have left, and especially for our little fresh children and those yet to come into this tired old dirtied world, so send the message... FRESHEN UP HOWARD & LIBERAL MP'S

ANY OTHER INDUSTRY ACCEPTS THAT THEIR JOBS GET CUT.

I want to urget hose foresters to STOP CRYING LIKE BABIES about their jobs and GROW UP.

Personally I would love to see some aggresive media go down and ask these people why they think they should be provided work where other people (in cities or other industries, for example) do without.

These foresters are lazy, greedy scumbags with a huge sense of entitlement.

Hey Ditch!

You are quite right. Do you, or anyone else remember the "intelligent Island" initiative? It was a Telstra (and maybe Govt) project to assist Tasmanians to wean themselves from the extractive industry mentality and convert a lot of jobs to teleworking and ICT. Basically, it would set up call centres and other service centres that used broadband and releive the "burden of distance".

Why didn't it work? I don't know, but maybe now is a time to revive it with Telstra/OPTUS and the Libs/Labour to see who can garner a few more votes? Any takers?