TAS: Martin stays in ALP after rebel pulp mill vote

AAP General News (Australia)
04-05-2007
TAS: Martin stays in ALP after rebel pulp mill vote

By Glenn Cordingley

HOBART, April 5 AAP - Rebel Labor MP Terry Martin will not be kicked out of the ALP
for crossing the floor and voting against a proposed $2 billion pulp mill in Tasmania.

The member for Elwick said he was given official notification of the decision by ALP
state secretary Julie Collins at his office in parliament yesterday.

Ms Collins also formally told him that he had been expelled from the Parliamentary
Labor Party (PLP) for breaking caucus solidarity by voting against legislation to fast
track the assessment through parliament.

Mr Martin today said he was not bitter.

"I am glad to remain a rank and file member of the ALP," he said.

"I will carry on as an independent and represent the people of Elwick to the best of my ability.

"I have had a lot of support for my actions in the upper house last week, but I don't
bear any grudges against anyone."

Mr Martin last week said the public perceived that something "shonky" was going on
with the rushed process and that he had a problem with Premier Paul Lennon's leadership.

The legislation introduced by Mr Lennon to bypass planning laws has passed the upper
house with amendments and will return to Tasmania's House of Assembly on April 17, when
it is expected to become law.

The Gunns Ltd pulp mill proposal for the Tamar Valley, in the state's north, has now
been submitted to the federal government for environmental assessment.

Mr Lennon has given state parliament a decision deadline on the pulp mill by early August.

The process has taken the mill's assessment away from the Resource Planning and Development
Commission and will replace it with a government appointed consultant.

Applications for potential consultants closed at 5pm yesterday and all submissions
are currently being assessed, a state government spokesman said.

The Tasmanian Greens today said that selecting a consultant to assess the environmental
standards should not be made until the amended bill has been considered by the lower house.

Greens spokesman Kim Booth also said that the timeline requiring the consultant to
submit a draft report by May 11 is "woefully inadequate".

"The amended bill has not even gone to the lower house for debate, has not received
the royal assent by the governor, and yet this arrogant government blatantly treats the
parliament as a rubber stamp by presuming to proceed before the process is finalised,"

Mr Booth said.

AAP grc/jm/mn

KEYWORD: PULP MARTIN

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