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Gunns Limited
Type Public company (ASX:GNS)
Founded 1875
Founder John and Thomas Gunn
Headquarters Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Key people John E. A public company usually refers to a company that is permitted to offer its registered securities ( Stock, bonds, etc The Australian Securities Exchange ( ASX) is the primary Stock exchange in Australia. An entrepreneur is a person who has possession over a company enterprise, or Venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome Launceston ( (short first vowel /ˈlɔːnsəstən/ is often incorrectly heard in other parts of Australia is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Gay (Managing Director and Executive Chairman)
Industry Timber production
Revenue ▲$637. Managing director is the term used for the Chief executive of many limited companies in the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and some other English For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or In business revenue or revenues is Income that a company receives from its normal business activities usually from the sale of goods and services 6 million AUD (2006)[1]
Profit ▲$87. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Net income is equal to the Income that a firm has after subtracting costs and Expenses from the total Revenue. 2 million AUD (2006)[1]
Employees 1,662 (2006)[1]
Divisions Gunns Plantations Limited
Gunns Pulp
Entally Estate
Tamar Ridge Wines
Gunns Retail
Website www.gunns.com.au

Gunns Limited (ASX:GNS) is a major forestry enterprise located in Tasmania, Australia. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. A division of a business entity is a portion of that business that operates under a different name A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages The Australian Securities Exchange ( ASX) is the primary Stock exchange in Australia. Forestry is the Art and Science of managing forests tree Plantations and related Natural resources. Tasmania is an Australian island and state of the same name It is located south of the eastern side of the Continent, being separated from it by Bass For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. Founded in 1875 by brothers John and Thomas Gunn, it is one of Australia's oldest companies. It has over 900 square kilometres of plantations, mainly eucalyptus trees. Eucalyptus (From Greek ευκάλυπτος meaning "well covered" is a diverse Genus of Trees (and a few shrubs the members of which It is Tasmania’s largest private land-owner. The company employs over 1200 people and has a turnover in excess of AUS$600 million. Gunns is the largest woodchipper in the Southern Hemisphere, with a monopoly in Tasmania's forest industry [2]. Southern Hemisphere is the half of a Planet that is South of the Equator —the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' Gunns also runs retail stores throughout Tasmania including several Mitre 10 outlets and the Tamar Ridge winery. Mitre 10 is a Hardware store chain operating in the Pacific region with 900 locations in all states of

Contents

Operations

Western Australia

Gunns operates three hardwood sawmills in Western Australia. Western Australia is a state occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Their nationwide product line of timber flooring includes the hardwood, Jarrah, found in the southwest of the state. The timber is reddish-brown when hewn and is, "renowned for its beauty, warmth and durability". [3] Their environmental initiatives include achieving certification under International standard ISO 14001:2004. Quality assurance, or QA for short refers to planned and systematic production processes that provide confidence in a product's suitability for its intended purpose International standards are Standards developed by international Standards organisations International standards are available for consideration and use worldwide [4] Gunns supplies local trade and retail markets from its distribution yard in Welshpool, near Perth. Welshpool is an inner southeastern Suburb of Perth, located mostly within the City of Canning. Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia.


Criticism

Anti-pulpmill rally (April 2007)
Anti-pulpmill rally (April 2007)

The company has been the focus of criticism from environmentalists, primarily for its four woodchip mills which produce 4 million tonnes of chips for export annually. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. Green groups claim that native forests are harvested specifically for woodchipping, whereas Gunns claim that the majority of their chips come from residue from their sawmilling and veneer operations. Woodchipping is the act and industry of chipping wood for pulp or processed wood products Gunns' major customers are paper producers in Northern Asia, mainly Japan, including Mitsubishi, Nippon and Oji Paper. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The, Mitsubishi Group of Companies, or Mitsubishi Companies is a Japanese conglomerate consisting of a range of autonomous businesses which share the Mitsubishi Gunns has also been criticized for its logging operations in the Styx Valley and for its use of 1080 poison [1] to kill wildlife including protected species (baiting and particularly aerial spraying of forest prior to clearfelling [5]). The Styx Valley is located adjacent to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site on the island of Tasmania.

In 1989, the chairman of Gunns, Edmund Rouse, attempted to bribe a Labor member, Jim Cox, to cross the floor, bringing down the Tasmanian government and clearing the way for pro-logging former premier Robin Gray and the Liberal Party to resume power. Edmund Alexander Rouse (b 1926 or 1927 d Melbourne, July 28, 2002) was an Australian Businessman and political figure The Honourable James Glennister "Jim" Cox (born 1 October 1945) is a Tasmanian Labor politician and member of the Tasmanian Robin Trevor Gray (born 1 March 1940 in Kew Victoria) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Tasmania The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. A Royal Commission followed and convicted Rouse. [6] Robin Gray is now a director of Gunns Limited.

Further allegations of corruption appeared when Paul Lennon, Premier of Tasmania, had his heritage home renovated by a Gunns-owned company at the height of Gunns' push for the Bell Bay Pulp Mill. Paul Anthony Lennon (born 8 October 1955)is an Australian Labor Party politician The Bell Bay Pulp Mill, also known as the Tamar Valley Pulp Mill, is a proposed $2 billion Pulp mill which Gunns Limited is planning to build in the Lennon refused to disclose how much he paid for the renovations. [7]

Bell Bay Pulp Mill

Main article: Bell Bay Pulp Mill
The proposed mill site taken from Kayena, Tasmania
The proposed mill site taken from Kayena, Tasmania

The company is planning to build a $2 billion pulp mill in the Tamar Valley, near Launceston. The Bell Bay Pulp Mill, also known as the Tamar Valley Pulp Mill, is a proposed $2 billion Pulp mill which Gunns Limited is planning to build in the A pulp mill is a manufacturing facility that converts wood chips or other plant fiber source into a thick fiber board which can be shipped to a Paper mill for further The Tamar Valley is a picturesque valley in Tasmania. It runs north-west from the northern city of Launceston to the coast either side of the Tamar River Launceston ( (short first vowel /ˈlɔːnsəstən/ is often incorrectly heard in other parts of Australia is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia The proposed mill will use the Kraft process, Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) bleaching, and fed with eucalypt forest timber. The Kraft process (also known as Kraft pulping or sulfate process) describes a technology for conversion of wood into Wood pulp consisting of almost pure The project is supported by the State Government for economic and employment benefits which are said to include $6. The form of the Government of Tasmania is prescribed in its Constitution which dates from 1856 although it has been amended many times since then 7 billion in spending over 25 years and 2000 temporary jobs created during the construction phase, but opposed by environmental groups. Federal Environment Minister Malcolm Turnbull gave approval for the project on Wednesday 3rd October 2007.

Gunns 20

In Gunns Limited v Marr & Ors[8], Gunns filed a writ in the Supreme Court of Victoria, against 20 individuals and organisations including Senator Bob Brown, for over 7. In Law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial Jurisdiction. The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. Robert James Brown (born December 27, 1944) is an Australian Senator the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and the 8 million dollars. The Australian dollar ( sign: $; code: AUD) is the Currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas [9]

The original list of defendants was:

  • Bob Brown - federal Greens senator (dropped December 2006)
  • Simon Brown
  • Adam Burling - Huon Valley Environment Centre
  • Brian Dimmick
  • Doctors for Native Forests Inc. Robert James Brown (born December 27, 1944) is an Australian Senator the inaugural Parliamentary Leader of the Australian Greens and the The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is a Green Australian political party. (dropped November 2006)
  • Heidi Douglas - The Wilderness Society (TWS)
  • Neal Funnell
  • Helen Gee (dropped November 2006)
  • Lou Geraghty
  • Russell Hanson - TWS
  • the Huon Valley Environment Centre Inc. The Wilderness Society (TWS is an Australian Not-for-profit non-governmental environmental advocacy whose mission is protecting promoting and restoring Wilderness
  • Geoff Law - TWS
  • Alec Marr - TWS
  • Leanne Minshull - formerly of TWS
  • Louise Morris
  • Ben Morrow
  • Frank Nicklason
  • Peter Pullinger (dropped November 2006)
  • Margaret (Peg) Putt - Greens MHA (dropped December 2006)
  • The Wilderness Society Inc. Margaret Ann (Peg Putt (born 5 June 1953 in Sydney) is a former Australian politician and parliamentary leader of the Tasmanian Greens The Tasmanian Greens are a political party in Australia who developed from numerous environmental campaigns in Tasmania, including the flooding of Lake Pedder The House of Assembly, or lower house is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia The Wilderness Society (TWS is an Australian Not-for-profit non-governmental environmental advocacy whose mission is protecting promoting and restoring Wilderness


Gunns claims that the defendants have sullied its reputation and caused it to lose jobs and profits. The defendants claim that they are protecting the environment. The defendants have become collectively known as the Gunns 20. [10]

Opponents and critics of the case have suggested that the writ was filed with the intent to discourage public criticism of the company, in a similar vein to a Strategic lawsuit against public participation, commonly used in North America, [11][12] and the English McLibel case of McDonald's Restaurants against environmental activists Helen Steel and David Morris over a pamphlet critical of the company. A Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (" SLAPP " is a Lawsuit or a threat of lawsuit that is intended to intimidate and silence critics by burdening The McDonald's Restaurants v Morris & Steel, colloquially the McLibel case, was a long-running English court action for Libel [13] Gunns has maintained the position that they are merely trying to prevent parties enjoined to the writ from undertaking unlawful activities that disrupt their business. [14][15]

At a hearing before the Supreme Court of Victoria, an amended statement of claim lodged by the company and served on defendants on July 1, 2005 was dismissed. The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [8]. However, the judge in the case granted the company leave to lodge a third version of their statement of claim with the court no later than August 15, 2005. Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [8]

The application continued before the court, before being brought to a close on October 20, 2006. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. [9] In his ruling, The Honourable Justice Bongiorno, made an award of costs in favour of the respondents only as far as it covered those costs incurred with the striking out the third version of the statement of claim, and costs incurred associated with their application for costs. [9]

In November 2006, Gunns dropped the case against Helen Gee, Peter Pullinger and Doctors for Forests. In December 2006, it abandoned the claim against Greens MPs Bob Brown and Peg Putt. [16]


External links

References

  1. ^ a b c 2006 Annual Report. Gunns Limited. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
  2. ^ Schofield, Leo (October 6 2003). Leo Schofield AM (born Brewarrina New South Wales, Australia, 6 May 1935 is an Australian restaurant critic advertising professional and arts festival "Toxic avengers". Bulletin with Newsweek (Australia) 121: 11.  
  3. ^ Gunns. About Gunns (WA). Company website. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins  “Gunns in Western Australia has demonstrated its commitment to product and service excellence by achieving the coveted International Standard ISO9001:2000 Quality Assurance Certification. ”
  4. ^ Gunns; Max Evans - General Manager (October 2006). Gunns Limited Western Australia - Environmental Policy. Company website. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins  “Gunns is committed to the United Nations definition of sustainable development; that is "development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present ”
  5. ^ Schofield, Leo (October 6 2003). Leo Schofield AM (born Brewarrina New South Wales, Australia, 6 May 1935 is an Australian restaurant critic advertising professional and arts festival "Toxic avengers". Bulletin with Newsweek (Australia) 121: 11.  
  6. ^ Flanagan, Richard (May 2007). Richard Flanagan (born 1961 is an author historian and film director from Tasmania, Australia. "Out of control: the tragedy of Tasmania's forests". The Monthly 23: 20-31.  
  7. ^ The Australian. "Gunned down". John Lyons. October 05, 2007.
  8. ^ a b c [2005] VSC 251
  9. ^ a b c [2006] VSC 386
  10. ^ Gunns, greenies and the law by Andrew Darby, The Age, August 29, 2006. Accessed June 10, 2007
  11. ^ GUNNS 20. Senator Bob Brown. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
  12. ^ Tasmanian action a threat to basic rights. The Guardian (2006-04-03). The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1043 - Edward the Confessor is crowned King of England. Retrieved on 2007-06-07. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
  13. ^ Who benefits when a company sues to save its reputation? Melbourne Age Newspaper, 17 Dec 04.
  14. ^ The Law Report, ABC Radio National, 25 Jan 05.
  15. ^ Sydney Morning Herald, Middle ground views are up against battleground tactics, 7 Apr 05.
  16. ^ "Gunns abandons legal action against Greens leaders", ABC News Online, December 13, 2006. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly abbreviated to the 'ABC' is Australia's national public broadcaster. Retrieved on 2007-06-11. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1184 BC - Trojan War: Troy is sacked and burned according to the calculations of Eratosthenes.  

Further reading

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