Malcolm Turnbull has done what Gunns and the Prime Minister required and approved the pulp mill. But he hasn't taken it off the election agenda - this is far from over. Mr Turnbull is saying that the conditions he's put on the marine effluent, and saving 400ha of forest, make this a world's best practice mill.

To the aspiring Minister for the Environment, after your backing for Gunns polluting pulp mill:
 
1.         Do the 200,000 hectares of wild forests to be destroyed no longer matter?
 
2.         Does the Australian Medical Association's opposition to the mill because of fears for human health in the Tamar Valley not matter either?
 
3.         Will the 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gases which this mill will pump into the atmosphere not make climate change worse?
 

Both Environment Minister Turnbull and Chief Scientist Peacock are cheating to claim 'world's best practice' for Gunns pulp mill when zero study or conditions have been applied to the impact on the Tamar Valley vineyards, the forests and wildlife or the atmosphere, which will receive 10 million tonnes of CO2 per annum, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.

Today's Marketmetrics Research opinion poll showing the Greens' vote in Bass has doubled to 18 per cent, indicates votes draining from both Labor and the Coalition to the Greens as the unpopularity of the Gunns' pulp mill proposal bites, Greens leader Bob Brown said today.
 
The poll also shows a jump in the Greens' vote to 9 per cent in Braddon.
 

 
 
Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull's confirmation that his department has discussed the contents of the Chief Scientist's report with Gunns is outrageous, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
 
"Of 100,000 people in the Tamar Valley, the Howard Government gives just one – John Gay, this insider's privilege."
 

"It is outrageous if Gunns knows what's in this report but not other stakeholders" - Brown
Gunns has itself to blame for failing, over the last 4 years, to do Bass Strait studies essential to working out where its toxic pulp mill effluent will spread, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
"It is outrageous if the Minister has discussed the contents of the Chief Scientist's report with Gunns but not the community stakeholders like the vineyards, organic farms, tourist outlets and fishing industry in the Tamar Valley," Greens Leader Bob Brown said.

 
In a breakdown of proper political process Prime Minister Howard is insisting Cabinet approve Gunns proposed pulp mill in Tasmania despite growing scientific evidence against it, Greens Leader Bob Brown said today.
"Howard has a cosy relationship with Gunns' supremo John Gay. The two consulted closely before the ambush on Mark Latham in 2004. However, Howard has no similar contact with the Tasmanian winegrowers, fisheries, farmers, and tourist operators facing the $3 billion negative impact if Gay's pulp mill goes ahead in the Tamar Valley," Senator Brown said.

 
Greens leader Bob Brown says that the Greens candidates for the Sydney seats of Wentworth and Kingsford-Smith will visit Tamar Valley later this week to get a personal insight into the threat posed by Gunns' pulp mill proposal.  They will hosted by the Greens Bass candidate and Senator Brown.