A MOVE to show support for the development of a Tamar Valley pulp mill is a time wasting, headline-grabbing exercise, a Legislative Councillor has said.
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Mersey independent MLC Mike Gaffney said Windermere independent MLC Ivan Dean's decision to bring on debate on a motion asking the upper house to reaffirm its support for the proposed pulp mill on the third last day of parliament for the year was a media stunt.
The Legislative Council has a packed agenda this week, with debate on 14 Bills expected to be squeezed into the last three parliamentary sitting days of the year and, possibly, this term of government.
``Given the importance of some of this legislation to Tasmania, we must make sure that we do not lose sight of our purpose here,'' Mr Gaffney said.
The first Bill due to be debated today is the Reproductive Health Bill, which which is itself believed by some MLCs to be a waste of time.
Mr Dean said the proposed pulp mill was strongly supported in his electorate and would create much-needed jobs and economic growth, and said the Legislative Council should publicly give its support to send a positive message to potential investors.
Mr Gaffney said there was no urgent need to support the proposed pulp mill, because the former Gunns site was still for sale by receivers KordaMentha, and the legislative agenda should not be delayed, ``for a maybe project that might occur at an undetermined time at a predetermined site that has already failed once.''
He criticised Mr Dean as being among six MLCs who voted against a clause of the proposed Ambulance Service Amendment Bill without listening to the debate last week, a clause which Mr Gaffney said was crucial to the Bill.
``Maybe the honourable member should put more interest in what was happening in the house than gaining publicity points with popular issues like forestry, foxes and pulp mills,'' Mr Gaffney said.
He then left the chamber to ``focus on more important issues.''
Huon MLC Paul Harriss said was ``the most venomous personal attack'' he had seen in 18 years in the house.
Mr Harriss said Tuesday was private member's time and it was entirely appropriate for Mr Dean to raise an issue of importance to his electorate, like the pulp mill, in that time.
All other MLCs supported Mr Dean's right to put the motion up for debate, and most, including Leader of the Government in the upper house Craig Farrell MLC, have spoken in support.
The debate continues this afternoon.
