The federal government has been accused of granting favours and kowtowing to Gunns Ltd over its controversial Tasmanian pulp mill project.
Environment Minister Peter Garrett today granted Gunns a three-month extension on submitting the environmental impact management plan for the approval of its proposed Tamar Valley mill.
Gunns had asked for the extension last month after satisfying only four of the 16 environmental modules required by the original October 4 deadline.
Mr Garrett has given Gunns a new deadline of January 5, 2009.
"It is not unusual for major projects to need additional time to ensure that all environmental matters are fully investigated and properly addressed," Mr Garrett said.
Mill opponents are furious after having called on the minister to deny the extension.
Ed Coper, spokesman for online activist group GetUp!, accused Mr Garrett of "granting further favours to Gunns".
"The entire process of approval has been fraught with undue kowtowing to Gunns' demands. After all, it was Gunns who demanded the state approval process be fast-tracked in the first place," Mr Coper said.
Tasmanian Greens leader Nick McKim said that by providing the extension Mr Garrett had missed an ideal opportunity to stop the mill.
Tasmanian Greens senator Christine Milne said Mr Garrett had no legal obligation to extend the deadline, and no justification for doing so.
Paul Oosting from The Wilderness Society said Mr Garrett had done another special deal for the company.
"Gunns has continuously been unable to meet deadlines for the assessment and construction of the pulp mill and the project has only been kept alive by special deals from governments at the public's expense," Mr Oosting said.
Tasmanian Premier David Bartlett granted Gunns a five-month extension on a June 30 start-up deadline that in turn affected a wood supply agreement.
The agreement, struck during the administration of former premier Paul Lennon, provides $15 million to Gunns should parliament protect forests earmarked for the mill's wood supply.
Mr Bartlett's November 30 extension also caused outrage among mill opponents.
Gunns manager Calton Frame said the federal extension was appropriate and would ensure adequate time to finalise the outstanding modules.
"The Bell Bay Mill will allow us to process woodchips in Australia for the manufacture of paper, instead of shipping them overseas to older, less environmentally friendly mills," Mr Frame said.
"We have had a close and constructive working relationship with (Mr Garrett's) department throughout this process and we believe the modules demonstrate our commitment to ensuring a neutral impact on the environment from the mill."
The four modules already approved allow Gunns to start clearing and bulk earthworks at the mill site.
