Minister for Parks Matthew Groom's claim that he is being open and transparent is laughable given his refusal to release details of all the projects being assessed under his secretive Expressions of Interest process.
"The last time Tasmania saw such secrecy between government and developers was when Gunns Ltd and Labor tried to stitch up a pulp mill in the Tamar Valley, and we all know how that ended up," said Greens Environment spokesperson Nick McKim MP.
"Excessive secrecy can encourage corruption, and we are very concerned at the abandonment of due process by Mr Groom."
"For example, why has he ignored the recommendation of the panel he established that only some of the projects be assessed further? Have any of the projects been submitted by donors to the Liberal Party?"
"Tasmania's wilderness is one of our great competitive advantages, yet Mr Groom seems determined to attack its values by taking the axe to the World Heritage Area management plan to allow for mining and logging."
"Our National Parks are the peoples' parks, not the plaything of Mr Groom or the government of the day. They are merely temporary stewards and should start acting as such."
"There is nowhere near enough information available to properly assess any of the five projects Mr Groom has referred to today, which again highlights the excessive secrecy of Mr Groom's ad hoc process."