On 20 April 2012 the Tasmanian Supreme Court ordered that the Tasmanian Conservation Trust is not required to pay a security bond to the court. The TCT was greatly relieved that the court dismissed Gunns’ application, requested that we pay a bond. We were also very encouraged that Associate Justice Stephen Holt concluded that the TCT’s ‘case has not been shown as lacking merit or weak’ (Paragraph 48, page 10). A full copy of the decision is available on the TCT’s website.
Gunns has applied to the court to appeal the decision by Justice Holt and this will be heard on 22 June 2012. The TCT initiated a court action on 25 October 2011 in order to seek a court determination that the permit for the proposed Tamar Valley pulp mill had lapsed because the proponent, Gunns Ltd, had failed to meet the permit condition that the project be substantially commenced by the end of August 2011.