TASMANIA'S PULP MILL    

On September the 1st the judges of the  Victorian Premier's Literary Awards  announced that an essay written by a fiction writer who is a vocal opponent of Tasmania's forest sector and the pulp mill had won the major prize for journalism.

When the winning article was published last year, then Federal Minister for Forests highlighted the weakness of the articles and its lack of facts  in a speech to the Institute of Foresters of Australia.

A briefing paper on this award that examines the judges reasons is included in Hot Topics.

With ironic timing the award to the fiction writer coincided with the public release on Forestry Tasmania's vision and values that will make it a globally trusted source of forest products.

Investigation behind the Headline

Recently the Media, both print and electronic, featured the opinion of a University Lecturer on issues impacting on the approved pulp mill.  Such an introduction as ‘a lecturer from the University of Tasmania’ gives standing to the person, so that the audience members are given the impression that person is qualified and expert enough to offer comment.  It also suggests independence from vested interests arguing about the issue.  So it is surprising to find at least one of these lecturers’s have strong links to the green movement that have not been declared by the media!

Following up the Headline

A simple check of the affiliations of a recent 'expert' reveals links to active groups opposing the approved pulp mill, including lobbying the World Heritage Commision. The linked report questions the media's duty to disclose these affiliations. 

The Article

The ABC’s World Today in September 2007 reported on the economic viability of the pulp mill and stated: "Reports prepared by the Commonwealth Bank's share broking service, CommSec, say Gunns pulp mill project is only viable if world pulp prices remain high". The reporter also interviewed a Naomi Edwards who is 'independently' investigating these claims.

Investigation behind the Headline

The ABC was asked if the Commsec reports were current and the relevant dates of these reports. In relation to the independent advice, the ABC was asked about her relationship to the Greens?

Following up the Headline:

The ABC has acted to correct the report by placing this editor’s note on its archived web site of the Current Affairs program broadcast in September 2007:

"Editor's Note: The ABC wishes to clarify that Naomi Edwards' financial assessment of the Gunns mill was written in September, 2006. The CommSec reports referred to in the story were written in May 2006 and October 2006 and the recommendation to shareholders included in the above The World Today report is no longer current. The reference to the cost of pulp production has also been amended for accuracy. Naomi Edwards is not a member of any conservation or environmental organisation but has actively contributed to the forestry debate in support of the views of those organisations."

The Article

A story reporting that "Environmental activists are calling for the Tasmanian Government to back up the Tasmanian devils' endangered status with new regulations to further protect their habitats from logging." was accompanied by vision of a Yellow “Dozer” on ABC TV News in Hobart on 21 May 08.

This Video of the dozer pushing over scrub and trees was shown to the accompaniment of the News report and words as above read, relating to the impact of current forest practices in Tasmania.

Investigation behind the headline

The video appears to be the same as that used by ABC Catalyst: Land clearing broadcast 11 August 2005 when it reported on “wiping out the last old growth forests”

Following up the investigation

The use of this ‘file vision' is covered by the ABC editorial policy 5.8, “File footage images or audio used in news or current affairs content should be clearly identified as such, when not to do so would confuse or mislead the audience”

A search has now started for the ‘dozer’

Latest - An apology from the ABC:

The Article

from The Mercury Nick Clark March 06, 2008 the Gunns Ltd pulp mill would use much more water than originally forecast if dry summers persist

Investigation behind the Headline

This article is one of a series by the journalist raising concern on the water supply to the Trevallyn Dam and hence to the pulp mill.

The articles ask the reader to ignore the water flowing from the Poatina power Station, and speculates that this might not be available in a severe drought.

Over 50% of the summer average inflow of the Trevallyn dam comes from Poatina

Following up the Headline:

The Mercury, after identifying the flaws in these articles made the following correction on 2 April 08, :

“ON Page 13 of The Mercury on Saturday, March 29, on water usage by the Tamar Valley pulp mill it was reported that in a dry year, if Great Lake releases into the South Esk river system had to be reduced, the mill's proportion of available water could be greater than 80 per cent. The figure of 80 per cent in fact refers to the possible proportion of water on a daily basis in the driest period of the summer and the Great Lake contribution being nil, not on an annual basis. Hydro Tasmania and Gunns state the pulp mill will use 1.3 per cent of the annual flow through the Trevallyn power station, this is based on 26,000 ML being supplied from an historic annual inflow of 2,048,000 ML.”

The Article

from the Mercury PHILIPPA DUNCAN March 25, 2008 A survey of tourists found the Gunns pulp mill, "hit and miss" food, Port Arthur killer Martin Bryant, logging and mining are among the negatives interstate people attach to Tasmania. A survey of interstate visitors, released by the State Government after a Freedom of Information request, reveals "although perceptions about Tasmania are overwhelmingly positive, there are some negative associations".

Investigation behind the Headline

It is hardly surprising that the pulp mill debate has left a ‘negative’ impression on the State’s tourists.  The many claims made against the mill were alarming, and have been widely reported .  Some of these claims have proved to be false; claims that create negative images for our tourists.

Government studies made of the pulp mill show that it is an innovative design using the latest processes and technology to protect the environment. The approved permit conditions will protect Bass Strait and coastal waters, minimise air pollution and only use regrowth and plantation forests and to add value to a resource that other wise would be exported as a low value commodity.

Following up the Headline

Tourism and the mill's social and economic impact was studied by ITS Global, this report can be downloaded from the Tasmanian Department of Justice.

Timber Communities Australia have released a paper showing that a Vibrant Tourism indiustry can exist along side pulp mill in Tasmania and around the world.

The Article

In June 2007 the ABC's current affairs program the 7:30 report aired sensational allegations that the Pulp Mill could taint fish.

Investigation behind the Headline

The vision of this story related to the Bass Strait scallop fishery and a model of the treated effluent pipeline.  This vision was in direct contrast with the facts published in a report from the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)  that shows that there has been no commercial scallop fishery in the vicinity of the pipeline location in over a decade.

Following up the Headline

 After receiving a number of complaints on the accuracy of the story, the ABC removed vision of the report from its web site stating: "The video of this story has been removed from the site, as it contained visual elements that were potentially misleading".