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Gunns Pulp Mill Approval EPBC 2007/3385

22 May 2008

Latest News

The fourth module of the plan to manage the environmental impacts of the Gunns pulp mill project has been approved by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Hon Peter Garrett.

This module, Module E, relates to construction of the workers' accommodation facility, which will cater for up to 800 workers during the estimated two-year construction period. The approved Module E will be available to the public on the Gunns Ltd website.

Further modules will require the Minister's approval before additional work can be undertaken. See media release

Project Background

On 4 October 2007 the Gunns pulp mill in Tasmania's Tamar Valley was approved with 48 stringent environmental conditions.

In summary, the key elements of the conditions are:

At the time the approval decision was made, The Chief Scientist of Australia, Dr Jim Peacock AC, advised that the expert panel of scientists that he convened to review the pulp mill assessment was impressed by the technical and engineering advances that have been made in the design and operation of elemental chlorine free pulp mills. The panel accepted that the proposed mill was likely to conform to world's best practice. In relation to effluent being released into the marine environment, the dioxin limit is more than 70 per cent better than world's best practice.

The Independent Expert Group

Condition 6 of the approval decision requires a group of experts to advise the Minister and the Department as required and assist in the design, implementation and approval of the Environmental Impact Management Plan for the pulp mill. This team of scientific experts is referred to as the ‘Independent Expert Group’.

The role of the Independent Expert Group is to provide:

The members of the Independent Expert Group were announced in a media release on 12 October 2007. On advice of the (then) Chief Scientist, the following experts were appointed:

Further appointments to the Independent Expert Group may be made as required. All further appointments will be announced publicly.

For further information on the functions of the Independent Expert Group, follow the link below to the Working Protocols.

The Independent Site Supervisor

An Independent Site Supervisor will also monitor Gunns’ compliance with the conditions of approval. The Independent Site Supervisor position is currently held by Adjunct Professor Robert Joy, School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning at RMIT University, former Deputy Chairman of the Victorian Environment Protection Authority.

The Independent Site Supervisor has the full range of powers under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to access all necessary and relevant information to enable him to ensure full and proper compliance with the conditions.

All queries regarding the pulp mill, the Independent Expert Group or the Independent Site Supervisor should be directed to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

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