Great Southern to quit Tassie

Great Southern held their AGM on Thursday 19th February 2009 at which they announced plans to quit Tasmania. They reviewed a tough year for the company. Their woes are typical of the MIS industry. The Chairman and the Managing Director addressed the meeting. The full address can be found on the ASX website (http://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20090219/pdf/31g4gmvvxd9h02.pdf ) but like all such addresses is very much a sanitised view of events. An earlier draft of the address has been ‘discovered’, a draft before the usual sanitisation and omission of facts and the application of gloss by spin doctors.

A better way forward

Thirteen months away from a crucial State election, and the Messiah is yet to appear. Dominated by forestry and Tarkine issues, it is sometimes easy to forget about some of the other matters that bear upon the lives of mortals. Like dollars and cents and hospitals. So it was pleasing to see Alex tackle the neglected subject, and review the State’s Mid Year performance for the period ended 31st December 2008 ( The State Budget update: Panic or celebrate ). But there was little I could agree with, neither his description of the current situation , nor his proposed solutions.

There currently exists a sound base for the future, if only there was a greater willingness to understand the present. And also a greater willingness of the Government to reveal the options for the future. And a greater desire by those in Opposition to do more than merely oppose.

A response to Great Southern

There was disturbing unreality about Great Southern’s Mr Ikin reply (Your Say January 30^th) to my letter on land tax in general and GSL’s Temma property in particular.

Mr Ikin is still reading from an old copy of GSL’s psalm book.

GSL reported on their website in October 2008 that “extensive areas of this plantation have failed and the majority of the failed areas are yet to be replanted……..approximately 36 hectares of this area will not be replanted.”

This differs from Mr Ikin’s assertion that only 14 hectares failed and it has all been replanted.

GSL has also allowed its cattle to graze the property inflicting great damage to the seedlings already battling to survive adverse conditions.