A number of people have requested that Gunns address be placed here to enable them to copy the letter to Gunns and others in the post. Here is Gunns postal address:
• Gunns Limited
• Head Office
• 78 Lindsay Street
• Launceston, TAS 7250
• Ph: 03 6335 5201
• Fx: 03 6334 7909
• Email: gunns@gunns.com.au
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
An Open Letter to Gunns Ltd and Investors in Gunns Enterprises
Sirs,
RE: The Proposed Tamar Pulp Mill
Contrary to media and logging industry propaganda, the communities opposed to your mill are not environmentalists or tree huggers. We represent instead, a broad cross section of the community at large with access to considerable talent and resources worldwide. We are the lawyers, accountants, shopkeepers, business owners, workers and others that you, and your company, rely upon to deliver services and products.
The time has come to advise you to rethink your pulp mill proposal for the benefit of your company.
You have embarked on a course that has entirely ignored the impacts of your proposal on tens of thousands of people; and on the economy of the state; and on Australia’s strategic ability to feed itself.
You have relied instead on a relationship with a state government that is now so much on the nose as to be hated. A government that is letting the community down on virtually every aspect of service, but most noticeably in health and education. These are the people you have chosen to support your interests.
While your actions in leaving 70% of impacts from consideration may have seemed to be justified at the time, they have now left you blinded to the reasons for community anger, while simultaneously creating a massive surge of opposition to your proposal, and to every level of government that has supported you.
Make no mistake, you are now facing an organised and informed resistance to your proposal. A resistance that is comprised of the very taxpayers whose monies you rely on to fund MIS programs, road and bridge repairs, Forestry Tasmania activities, various grants, infrastructures for the pulp mill and so on. Without our money, your company will collapse.
Regardless of how distorted our political system becomes, the community is not going to tolerate watching their relatives die in pain while hundreds of millions of dollars are flowing to your industry to line the pockets of silvertail investors.
The adversarial attitudes presented by your industry spokespeople are incompatible with building a strong forward financial commitment with the population. If you want public money, you are going to have to work for it instead of making cosy deals with inept politicians.
The message is clear. Change the direction and focus of your company now, or face the consequences, both personally and as a corporation.
It is dangerously foolish to put your company into so much debt while facing a hostile population that is growing in size and determination with every blunder by the state government and every adversarial comment by your spokespeople.
The legal and financial shelters that you have relied on for so many years are going to be ripped away, if you continue with this exercise.
We advise you to reconsider and end this now.
There is room in Tasmania for a forestry industry that is making a real contribution to our community. But yours is not doing that, instead you are taking money needed by our sick, disabled, injured and dying, and needed by our children to provide them with a competitive education. Your toxic chemicals, smoke plumes and road hazards are making us sick. Your mill proposal threatens much worse.
Gunns could be a force for good in Tasmania by engaging in positive development plans but at every opportunity you show your colours by treating even your own people (e.g. contractors) with contempt.
This is not the 19th century. We are not living in the dark ages. Our community is educated, informed, inter-connected and active. We could all be helping Gunns to succeed, we could all be your customers and your investors. Instead, you are making us your enemies and that is not in your interests.
We hope that you, and the other people who are pushing the mill proposal, can realise the risks that you are taking and, more importantly, start thinking of new and better ways to work with the community to build a 21st century organisation.
As with federal politics, it is time for a change of attitude on your Board. Perhaps it’s time to bring in some younger talent with new and progressive ideas. Either that or you could start following a new and progressive course for your company yourself.
Yours sincerely,
Informed members of the community who want a clean Tamar, indeed a diverse, rich and healthy Tasmania.
NOTE: You will note that we have not named ourselves in this communication. This is because you have forced us into secrecy with your ill-advised action against citizens who are trying to tell you any of the many things that you do not want to hear.
RE: The Proposed Tamar Pulp Mill
Contrary to media and logging industry propaganda, the communities opposed to your mill are not environmentalists or tree huggers. We represent instead, a broad cross section of the community at large with access to considerable talent and resources worldwide. We are the lawyers, accountants, shopkeepers, business owners, workers and others that you, and your company, rely upon to deliver services and products.
The time has come to advise you to rethink your pulp mill proposal for the benefit of your company.
You have embarked on a course that has entirely ignored the impacts of your proposal on tens of thousands of people; and on the economy of the state; and on Australia’s strategic ability to feed itself.
You have relied instead on a relationship with a state government that is now so much on the nose as to be hated. A government that is letting the community down on virtually every aspect of service, but most noticeably in health and education. These are the people you have chosen to support your interests.
While your actions in leaving 70% of impacts from consideration may have seemed to be justified at the time, they have now left you blinded to the reasons for community anger, while simultaneously creating a massive surge of opposition to your proposal, and to every level of government that has supported you.
Make no mistake, you are now facing an organised and informed resistance to your proposal. A resistance that is comprised of the very taxpayers whose monies you rely on to fund MIS programs, road and bridge repairs, Forestry Tasmania activities, various grants, infrastructures for the pulp mill and so on. Without our money, your company will collapse.
Regardless of how distorted our political system becomes, the community is not going to tolerate watching their relatives die in pain while hundreds of millions of dollars are flowing to your industry to line the pockets of silvertail investors.
The adversarial attitudes presented by your industry spokespeople are incompatible with building a strong forward financial commitment with the population. If you want public money, you are going to have to work for it instead of making cosy deals with inept politicians.
The message is clear. Change the direction and focus of your company now, or face the consequences, both personally and as a corporation.
It is dangerously foolish to put your company into so much debt while facing a hostile population that is growing in size and determination with every blunder by the state government and every adversarial comment by your spokespeople.
The legal and financial shelters that you have relied on for so many years are going to be ripped away, if you continue with this exercise.
We advise you to reconsider and end this now.
There is room in Tasmania for a forestry industry that is making a real contribution to our community. But yours is not doing that, instead you are taking money needed by our sick, disabled, injured and dying, and needed by our children to provide them with a competitive education. Your toxic chemicals, smoke plumes and road hazards are making us sick. Your mill proposal threatens much worse.
Gunns could be a force for good in Tasmania by engaging in positive development plans but at every opportunity you show your colours by treating even your own people (e.g. contractors) with contempt.
This is not the 19th century. We are not living in the dark ages. Our community is educated, informed, inter-connected and active. We could all be helping Gunns to succeed, we could all be your customers and your investors. Instead, you are making us your enemies and that is not in your interests.
We hope that you, and the other people who are pushing the mill proposal, can realise the risks that you are taking and, more importantly, start thinking of new and better ways to work with the community to build a 21st century organisation.
As with federal politics, it is time for a change of attitude on your Board. Perhaps it’s time to bring in some younger talent with new and progressive ideas. Either that or you could start following a new and progressive course for your company yourself.
Yours sincerely,
Informed members of the community who want a clean Tamar, indeed a diverse, rich and healthy Tasmania.
NOTE: You will note that we have not named ourselves in this communication. This is because you have forced us into secrecy with your ill-advised action against citizens who are trying to tell you any of the many things that you do not want to hear.
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