The Australian Greens, Prime Minister Howard, Premier Lennon and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd all agree that Gunns' proposed pulp mill must meet 'world's best practice' environmental standards.

Tasmanian Premier Paul Lennon says that 'a world-class pulp pill that meets tough environmental standards will make [the Tasmanian] economy much stronger'.

Labor's shadow Environment Minister Peter Garrett says he supports a 'world class, best environment standards pulp mill'.

The Greens support a totally plantation-based, totally chlorine free, closed-loop pulp mill that doesn't use a Kraft (sulphur-based) pulping process.

And Prime Minister Howard committed $5 million in taxpayers' money towards the costs associated with a 'world-class Total Chlorine Free pulp mill' in Tasmania in June 2004.

To begin with, Gunns should repay that $5 million to Australian taxpayers. Its proposed pulp mill will use chlorine and it will log 200,000 hectares of native forests, reducing the habitat of rare and endangered species, including Tasmania's wedge tail eagle and the world's largest freshwater crayfish.

A Melbourne University study shows that if the planned logging of Tasmania's northeast forests (the primary source for the pulp mill) goes ahead, the risk of Tasmania's giant Wedge-Tailed Eagle going to extinction there rises from 65 percent to 99 percent.

Gunns' mill will pour the cancer-causing chemicals, furans and dioxins, into Bass Strait and pump more than 100 million tonnes of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It will be denied 'Green Power' accreditation for the electricity produced from its forest furnace. And it threatens the organic status of Tamar Valley vineyards and farms, as well as human health – so much that the Australian Medical Association opposes it.

Clearly the Gunns pulp mill is not world's best practice, yet the Coalition and Labor still support it.

Read more of Bob's article in today's The Australian