TREASURER Michael Aird will join Gunns' representatives in talks with potential pulp mill financiers next week while on a seven-day jobs mission to northern Europe.
Mr Aird was quick to point out yesterday that the pulp mill meeting was a side issue to the real reason for his sudden overseas trip.
"I was going to Europe to make this forward representation and it seemed an obvious time to make a representation on behalf of the Government in terms of supporting the pulp mill, supporting the development, making sure that the Government's policy is very clear to any investor in the pulp mill," Mr Aird said.
It is understood that the pulp mill talks will not be with the Swedish-based pulp and paper mill giant Sodra - believed to be Gunns' preferred joint venture partner to build the Bell Bay mill.
News of Mr Aird's overseas pulp mill talks brought an angry response from both the Opposition and Greens.
Opposition treasury spokesman Peter Gutwein said that the move proved that Premier David Bartlett was not to be trusted.
"On June 30 last year Mr Bartlett said: `the Government has drawn a line in the sand regarding any future government involvement in this (pulp mill) project ... the success or otherwise of the pulp mill is entirely in the proponent's hands'," Mr Gutwein said.
Greens leader Nick McKim described the trip as an outrageous misuse of Tasmanian taxpayers' money.
"This is a return to the bad old days of Paul Lennon when Gunns would say, `jump', and the Government would ask, `how high?' - Tasmanians thought those times were over but clearly they are not," he said.
But Mr Aird said that Mr Bartlett had not changed his position.
"I would not be going separately to make any representation to the potential financiers of the pulp mill," he said.
"We are not providing any financial support to Gunns - what we are saying is just clarifying to those who may be interested to know that the State Government has a policy that we've always supported the pulp mill."
Gunns would not be picking up "any of the tab", for the side trip to talk to potential financiers, Mr Aird said.
But he did confirm that the timber giant had asked for his involvement in the overseas meeting.
A spokesman for Gunns said last night that the company was pleased to get the Tasmanian Government support.
READ MORE AIRD MISSION FOR NW JOBS: Page 6
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