BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE
HOBART — The Resource, Planning and Development Commission hearing into the proposed Southwood woodchip mill and wood-fired power station ended on May 14 — two weeks after what was meant to be a three-day hearing began.
According to leading anti-Southwood campaigner Neil Cremasco the commission hearing had to be extended because of the outpouring of community opposition to the project. Opponents of the project represented at the hearing included town planners, accountants and lawyers.
While activists are hopeful that the ultimate decision — due in several weeks time — will sound the death knell for Southwood, Cremasco points out that this is unlikely because the commissioners limited the hearing to technical planning matters.
"This hearing was not an opportunity to subject the whole Southwood project to a full independent scrutiny", Cremasco told Green Left Weekly.
Witnesses came forward wanting to talk about the shortcomings in Forestry Tasmania's economic modelling or the council's planning process. However, these topics were ruled out of order by the commissioners.
"There are immense numbers of questions that Forestry Tasmania has not been able to answer. I asked them to substantiate their claims that local businesses would not be adversely affected [by Southwood], but they were unable to do so", said Cremasco.
Cremasco told GLW that if the hearing fails to knock back the Southwood proposal, the only avenues left to activists are supreme court action and action in the streets.
From Green Left Weekly, May 22, 2002.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.