Brett Whiteley (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Tarkine National Coalition, also known as Save the Tarkine, is a fanatical environmentalist group that openly judges its effectiveness on the level of economic disruption it inflicts on business. One only needs to visit its website and read its self-written report card to see that it prides itself on its level of job-destroying activities.

Tonight I will expose Save the Tarkine for its disgraceful and relentless attempts to undermine the mining industry through the courts and to silence me from standing up for the people of Braddon. The employee and public face of this organisation is Mr Scott Jordan, with former Senator Bob Brown the patron. Given the average membership fee is about $20 and it only received $500 in membership fees last year, this shows it has roughly 25 members—that's right, just 25 members. This is not some burgeoning environmental movement. This is an incorporated organisation with just 25 members, nearly half of them directors. According to its last financial year statements, of the $115,000 in donations received into the tax-deductible Tarkine Fund, only $9,000 was spent on what you would call campaign activities. This compares to the $89,000 spent on wages, travel costs, administration and legal fees. These expenses resulted in Save the Tarkine operating at a loss.

It is not surprising that an organisation that so desperately seeks to be an economic spoiler would spend more on wages and legal fees than on actually engaging with the north-west community. The victims here are salt-of-the-earth people simply looking to earn a living and raise their families in our region. There is no doubt that the legal expenses this year will be far greater, because the group have engaged in two high-profile court cases against the Commonwealth and mining companies wanting to invest in our region. In both cases, they lost their appeal. In the most recent case, costs were awarded against them, which are estimated to be over $150,000.

Given this organisation was operating at a deficit in the previous financial year and clearly had little prospect of being successful in its action, I would argue that this group entered into an expensive court process in the full knowledge that it did not have the capacity to meet the costs if in fact they were awarded against it.   Should a normal business enter into such transactions with this knowledge, it could be deemed to be trading whilst insolvent. This leaves me deeply concerned that Save the Tarkine's intention is to simply wind up insolvent and start a similar organisation hell-bent on standing in the way of mining and forestry developments.

The public are asking me how on earth this group will pay these costs. Well, it has become quite clear just how it intends to start its next fundraising campaign—by suing me. Two weeks ago, I received a letter from an inner city Melbourne law firm seeking the immediate payment of $40,000 and an apology for standing up for the people of Braddon and attacking the Save the Tarkine group for its job-destroying stunts. Let me say clearly and loudly tonight to Save the Tarkine directors, Scott Jordan, former Senator Bob Brown and Bleyer Lawyers: I will not be silenced. I will not back down and I will not stop until Save the Tarkine pays taxpayers and Venture Minerals back for its failed court cases and ceases its job-destroying campaign through the courts.

Save the Tarkine can dish it out with wild and unsubstantiated claims against the mining and forestry sector, but they cannot take it. They are like schoolyard bullies. 4 They have a glass jaw and will never, ever accept the umpire's decision. How dare this organisation engage an inner city Melbourne legal firm to try and stifle the political process with attempts to bully MPs and senators into silence?

I acknowledge the presence in the House of Senator John Madigan. Senator Madigan has likewise been harangued by Bleyer Lawyers, who sent him a letter of demand on another matter, which is basically a cut-and-paste of the demand sent to me as the member for Braddon. It would appear that Bleyer is simply a legal factory dedicated to the cause of trying to shut up anyone that finally calls to account groups such as Save the Tarkine. Bleyer has also taken the extraordinary step of threatening action against Senator Madigan if he speaks on those matters within their demands in parliament under parliamentary privilege.

I believe that such a threat is in breach of section 28 of the Crimes Act. I will let Senator Madigan speak for himself. But, if such an intimidating tactic is threatened against me, I will have no hesitation in referring such a threat to the Privileges Committee of the parliament. I can assure the people of Braddon I will not be silenced by Save the Tarkine or their fancy lawyers, because I know that the overwhelming majority of my electorate desperately want to see new jobs in our region and a future for our young people. I seek leave to table the annual statements and the constitution of Tarkine National Coalition Inc.

Leave granted.

The SPEAKER: Order! It being eight o'clock, the debate is interrupted.

House adjourned at 20:00