SOUTH EAST FOREST ALLIANCE

MEDIA RELEASE 6 November 2001

Gilmore Candidates -
Call to Reject Charcoal Plant

Conservation groups today called on the candidates for the Liberal Party, Joanna Gash, and the Labor Party, Peter Knott, to publicly repudiate the proposed charcoal plant for the South Coast region , anywhere.

"The charcoal plant was to be situated at Mogo near Bateman's Bay but massive community outcry now has the State Government saying that it will consider alternative locations and calling for suggestions. The Liberal MP and election candidate for Eden Monaro, Gary Nairn, is suggesting that it might be relocated in view of the massive opposition all along the Eurobodalla Coast," said spokespersons for the groups.

It is highly likely to end up in the Kiama to Nowra to Ulladulla area, in the seat of Gilmore, if the Eurobodalla Shire residents drive it out. This will mean a massive increase in heavy traffic as 200,000 tonnes a year of native forest is trucked into the area, woodchipped and then burnt for charcoal. There will be massive pressure on the local forests as the cheapest source of timber and the tourism, fishing and other activities relying on the beauty and water quality of the region will suffer enormous damage."

The question is "Will Joanna Gash and Peter Knott publicly repudiate the proposed charcoal plant, anywhere?"

"The position of the Labor candidate Peter Knott is expected to be particularly revealing."

"Labor has just agreed that other proposals all around the country, including one for Batemans Bay, to woodchip and burn native forests for fuel in electricity plants should be postponed indefinitely and a truly independent public inquiry held into the whole idea."

"It is time for Peter Knott and Joanna Gash to heed the huge community concern about the attempt to start another massive woodchipping operation on the South Coast. The charcoal plant is a huge smokestack factory in a prime tourism area."

"Now is the time for these candidates to lay their cards on the table with all voters who really care about the environment of the South Coast and the regional economy which depends on nature based tourism."

"Calls for the plant to be relocated somewhere less immediately obvious than the outskirts of Batemans Bay are just an attempt to divide and conquer the South Coast community on behalf of a rapacious and environmentally irresponsible native forest timber industry. Equally contemptuous of the voters are pious suggestions that the community opposition might be supported at some future time, just keep up the outcry!"

"The cynical might think that both approaches are deliberate attempts to avoid the real charcoal plant issue until the Federal election is out of the way, then it will be business as usual between the timber industry and the major parties."

"The call is now, the community really wants to know whether this economically insignificant timber industry is more important than the forests and the best future of the South Coast?"

"Silence on this issue is not an option for the candidates"

Further comment
Noel Plumb South East Forest Alliance 0425 23 83 03

Kris Kowal Coastwatchers 4474 3335