Tasmanian Roundtable for Sustainable Industry Project
The Launceston Environment Centre is coordinating a process to establish a Tasmanian Roundtable for Sustainable Industry.
Modelled on the highly successful Business Roundtable for Climate Change, the initiative will bring together large and small members of the business community
into a forum that will explore and develop policy to promote sustainable development in Tasmania.
The LEC has established a dynamic initiative to identify what a truly sustainable economy will look like in Tasmania. Drawing on experience from the "Business
Round Table on Climate Change", our initiative is engaging with all sectors of the Tasmanian economy and asking the question - what is a sustainable economy
and how do we implement one in Tasmania. Find out more information about this exciting initiative.
The Roundtable - Report 1
The Roundtable has released it's first report looking at the sustainability of economic development in Tasmania. Using the proposed pulp mill near Launceston as a case study, we have identified significant problems with the economic case for building the mill.Ultimately, we have concluded that the proposed pulp mill does not represent sustainable economic development for Tasmania.
Other key findings include:
1. The proponents have made a simple but significant error by double counting the Pulp Mills tax benefit to the Tasmanian economy.
2. A benefits analysis conducted by the proponents show an $834 million tax contribution over the life of the project but failed to show the $847.3 million in subsidies provided to the project.
3. The proponents have only provided a benefits analysis to the Tasmanian economy. They have not factored in risks and costs, including:
(a) Risk of respiratory disease caused by the emissions from the proposed mill, quantified in the report at $350 million.
(b) The cost to the Tasmania economy from converting additional agricultural land to plantations to supply the proposed mill, quantified in the report at $403 million.
(c) Risks to Tasmania's fishing industry due to dioxin contamination from pulp mill effluent, quantified as a medium risk scenario could cost the industry $693.5 million and 700 job losses over the life of the project.
(d) Following a survey conducted by the Tasmanian Tourism Industry Council, economists were able to quantify the risk to Tasmania’s tourist industry. With 84% of growth in Tourism attributable to repeat visits, a medium risk scenario will cost the Tasmanian economy $1.1 billion and 1044 jobs over the life of the project.
(e) If you add up risks to health and other industries plus the costs and subsidies the total is $3.3 billion.
4. Only subsidies provided by the Australian taxpayer makes the mill profitable.
5. Job gains during mill construction may well be offset by the “crowding out” of other development opportunities and job losses elsewhere.
6. On a range of realistic scenarios, the Pulp Mill project may cause an economic loss to the State of Tasmania.
7. The proposed pulp mill does not represent sustainable development for Tasmania.
Download the full report. - (2.2Mb)
Download executive summary. - (774Kb)
The economic model:
In the interests of public transparency, we have decided to make our economic model available...
When you open the document you are able to alter the figures to see what sort of impacts different numbers can have upon the profitability of the report. For example, in the exchange rate column, adjust the figure from $0.83 to $0.85 and see what happens.
Download the economic model - (118Kb xml file)
Our Written Response to the Criticisms:
Since the release of Report 1, the Tasmanian Roundtable for Sustainable Industries Project has received a number of criticisms. Most of these criticisms were conducted either on the floor of the Tasmanian Parliament, behind closed doors, or off the record to the authors. We have only received one direct written response.
Therefore, to maintain the discussion on the economic impacts of the proposed pulp mill we have produced a written response to the criticisms that we have received to-date.
Download the response to the criticisms - (1.1Mb)
View Our Video:
View our video promoting the first report from the Roundtable which demonstrates the proposed pulp mill near Launceston may cost the Tasmanian economy $3.3 billion and nearly 2000 jobs loss. The video is also veiwable on YouTube... follow this link
What you can do!
We need more donations to maintain the Roundtable Project.With your support we can produce policy guidance to the Tasmanian government and people as to what a truly economically sustainable Tasmania will look like.
Please Donate Today - all donations over $2 are tax deductible.
How to donate
1. online via our membership page through our secure pament method.2. sending a cheque or postal order to:
Launceston Environment Centre
Public Fund
PO Box 392
Launceston, Tasmania, 7250.